


A Kunoichi Made of Glass (I Will Cut You)

by surenlicious



Series: Glass Cannon Sakura [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And the fact she has discarded her headband to pursue strength in other ways is ok, BAMF Haruno Sakura, Character Study, Deconstruction Chakra user Sakura, Exploring the Haruno clan's secret methods of staying the fuck alive, Glass Cannon Sakura anyone?, Haruno Sakura-centric, No Zetzu or Kaguya bullshit, Sakura explores politics of both the shinobi and daimyo kind, Sakura isn't afraid to embrace her civilian background, Screw you Kishi for not writing my girls the way I want it, Self-Indulgent, Slow To Update, Strong Haruno Sakura, Useful Feudal Lords are a thing now, You probably have to take that literally, also chakra deconstruction is Sakura's new fuck-you to the shinobi world, also my Akatsuki has more balls and more reverence for the world around them, she learns new unholy strength through means nobody asked for, they're still problematic though but you'll understand soon enough, you enemies are not always your enemies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:47:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21986884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/surenlicious/pseuds/surenlicious
Summary: Wave was a disaster. It makes Sakura discard her headband, unofficially throwing away her kunoichi career in the bin. As Sakura ponders on how to move forward - avoiding Team 7 like the plague in the process - she suddenly sees how a foreign shinobi retracts his hand from the shoulder of her neighbor Old Lady Bihan as if he's just been burned.And Sakura is intrigued a civilian from her clan just nearly blasted a shinobi's hand to smithereens.And so, Sakura sets herself to learn how civilians and politicians have their own ways of weaponizing themselves in the shinobi world and seeks to hoard that power for herself. She may not fully move as a kunoichi anymore, but even the lamb can weave terrible traps in its wool to prevent the wolf from ever taking a bite. Wave did not just teach her just how far she's behind her teammates, but also to show her just how unfair the shinobi world is.It doesn't make her resentful. It makes her kind to enemies that appear far too soon, and manage to teach her other views Konoha didn't even bother to whisper about.
Relationships: Haruno Kizashi & Haruno Mebuki & Haruno Sakura, Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Glass Cannon Sakura [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1582984
Comments: 90
Kudos: 384





	1. Shards of glass

Her headband is gathering dust on her desk. The letter to formally request the dismantling of her shinobi status next to it however, looks fresh. 

If anyone were to describe Sakura as the kunoichi she's only been for nearly three months, they'd have nothing but her appearance to comment on. There are no skills, no famous deeds or any jutsu to add to her name. Nobody would think to compliment (and fear for that matter) the sheer pool of knowledge swirling in her head. 

Sakura sighs as she scrubs her face. She's been sitting on her bed nearly the whole afternoon, going over her train of thought again. She's been doing it at least five times a day, sitting on her bed - or even outside on her porch staring at the people passing her clan district - and mulling things over. Somewhere, Sakura supposes, if she thought about where it all went wrong long enough the answer would come to her.

Because the simple truth was Sakura didn't dare go outside to show her face to anyone right now.

Wave was a disaster. It's been a week ago since Team 7 returned from that absolute wreck of a mission, and it served to teach Sakura two things. First, she's not even a mere flint compared to the blazing inferno of her teammates. There is an absolute inhumane scale of difference in power and skill, and Sakura finds she's not only lagging behind, she might not have anything but basic kunai throwing to add to her team.

It was unfair to place her into a team of two famous clan members, and while Naruto might not have known his parents Sakura isn't stupid enough not to know what the hell being an Uzumaki means. 

Sasuke is the same, and as he flashes in her thoughts, the corners of Sakura's mouth turn down.

Uchiha are (have been) worshipped for their Sharingan. Sakura isn't sure she even wants to envy Sasuke for that, being only praised if you have the superior eyes your clan is famous for, but it still aided him in his skill. Although she was nearly deaf to the severity of his goal when Kakashi asked them to introduce themselves, she remembers the worlds clearly. 

Remembers the venom he added in his voice when he told them of how he wanted to kill a certain man. She sees the viciousness of that goal bleed through in the way he fights. Merciless, aiming to break his opponent no matter who it is. 

Sakura doesn't have that. Sakura doesn't even want that.

Sakura doesn't have anything to add to her name, not even when Naruto speaks to her so fondly as he always does. He doesn't mind helping to keep her safe, and it makes something in her stomach grow heavy with disdain. It is sweet and heroic to a degree, but Sakura knows now its useless to have one teammate in a band of three defend its weakest link. It could easily mean the death of them all.

The grim thought makes her frown uneasily, and Sakura stands up from her bed to give her limbs a good stretch. Having been home all week caused her limbs to surprisingly protest at their lack of usage. It makes her smile a little; who would have guessed her body might actually have adjusted itself to the lifestyle of a shinobi?

When she looks outside her window, its already far into the afternoon in Konoha. People are buzzing about, shinobi are soaring across the rooftops. Nobody has any idea of her brooding.

Sakura places her hand against the glass, before slowly looking over to the formal letter she intended to land on the Daimyo's doorstep. 

The request to formally revoke her shinobi status and thus end her career was something Sakura prepared when she was 8. Contrary to popular belief, a shinobi doesn't have to send their resignation letters to their Kage or village leader. Your supreme commander (there is really no other way to describe a Kage) can namely decide they are still in need of your services, for shinobi are in all objects of destruction for them to use at will. So long as they need you, you're not going anywhere.

The Daimyo however - for all that they do enjoy to sit back and watch - are more neutral. They do not mind dismantling your shinobi status and just let you be. As such, often resignation letters are sent to them instead of being shoved under one's Kage's nose. Lesser shinobi means less ways for the shinobi world to ignite in yet another war.

The cruel truth was Sakura accepted her shinobi life only because of the way her team was sorted (aka presenting Sasuke to her on a silver platter) properly. Well, proper was perhaps not the right word, Sakura wasn't sure she'd keep her headband if she'd be placed into a team with Lee or Neji in it.

But it also meant if the shinobi life would get too tough, Sakura would have been ready to throw in the towel as well. Sure, she wasn't a strong ninja now, but Sakura sure as heck was practical. 

But even then - walking towards her desk and sits in the chair - she didn't think she'd have to end it because of how twisted the shinobi world can be.

_Zabuza and Haku were..._

She bit her lip. It hurts. They made her hurt. And those weren't wounds inflicted from combat. She felt sorry for them. She truly did.

It was unfair to pit shinobi against one another, and Sakura didn't care for the old mantras like 'this is how the world works' or even her favorite 'grow the fuck up and deal with it' some things in the world were simply _wrong_.

And that was the second thing Wave taught her. The mission was supposed to be nothing more than an escort mission, but it turned out to become murder, treachery and hurt. 

It was a world full of unholy lies and Sakura wasn't given the tools to deal with it.

\- ❀ -

Mebuki is one hell of a good cook. 

Sakura loves her mother's food. She sits at the kitchen table, swinging her legs eagerly. Her eyes are glued to her mother's back as she flutters back and forth getting dinner ready. "Mom, can I help anywhere?" Sakura asks gingerly after a while, knowing Mebuki's answer. "Nope." Comes the cheery reply from her mother, and Mebuki flashes her daughter a sly grin. "I'm almost ready anyway, just a bit longer."

Sakura chuckles, she knows her mother absolutely does not want to be disturbed in her cooking process.

Mebuki, like her husband Kizashi, is a shinobi. The entire Haruno clan has plenty of ninja serving duty, but many haven't forgotten their civilian roots. If anything, the generation before Sakura's parents thought it was better to blend together with the shinobi of their village to make sure its civilians could fight.

But for many generations, Sakura thinks wryly even as she stands up to fill her plate, no Haruno stood up with terrifying power that would make the lesser shinobi weep.

As such, it made even less sense to be shoved into a team containing a bloody Uchiha and an equally rampant Uzumaki.

"You think too much, sweetheart." At her mother's teasing tone, Sakura gives an embarrassed chuckle, looking up to meet her mother's bright smile as she scoops up another fill of rice. "Sorry...I just..." And really what do you say about feeling like not just a failure but having the mere beginnings of doubt about the system you live in? Some things are just too much for a lazy Wednesday evening.

But Sakura's also spent a whole week breaking her head over a problem she hasn't managed to solve yet. Some things are better off said instead of filed away to haunt you later.

"Mom, I'm having serious doubts about being...a ninja." And she breathes out her profession's name as if it could send something crashing down. "That mission I had last week? It...it didn't go well."

Mebuki hums thoughtfully, giving Sakura the room to breathe and gather her thoughts. "Ah yes, I remember you sharing a little with me about this last Wednesday..." She recalls, and at Sakura's subtle nod Mebuki gives a gentle sigh. "I'm not lying when I say I wish you wouldn't be confronted with such missions until at least being a Chuunin but..." And here she looks up from her food to rest her chin on her hand. "...but are you truly certain you want to end your ninja career so soon?"

Sakura plops her piece of beef in her mouth but is thinking. "Not going to be mad at me for wanting to quit, ey mom?" She says with a wry smile, and Mebuki shakes her head, a small smile at her lips. "At the very least, all I ask is that you have another look if there are areas you can work yourself up from, before you decide to pull the plug."

Sakura hums, and carefully puts some rice in her mouth. "To be honest...I haven't given those any thought yet. I know I'm severely behind in terms of abilities compared to where Sasuke and Naruto are but...can I be honest?" Mebuki frowns at the sudden seriousness in her tone, but nods.

Sakura put down her chopsticks and eyes her rice intently. "Mom...it was just supposed to be a simple escort mission. C-rank, nothing special...until the whole Zabuza debacle." Mebuki's frown grows deeper, but she still eyes her daughter encouragingly. "Go on." And Sakura does so.

"I've told you about what happened to Sasuke and that boy Haku...how Haku and Zabuza after..." Sakura steels herself, choking away the still surprising grief at her enemies' fate. "It was _wrong_ , mom. And...and I know I should probably grow up and behave like a shinobi but-"

"No." Mebuki's voice is low, and her eyes are shining and Sakura sees her mother's own experience blaze through. "No matter how hard people holler it from the rooftops, but shinobi are _not_ machines. You sympathized with your opponent because you are not blindly following what was drilled onto you, you still see right from wrong. That is a precious gift, and I hope you will cherish it going out in this world, Sakura."

"Thanks, mom..." And she says the words quietly, because although she is grateful to have her mother's support, it still doesn't answer Sakura's problem.

Should she pursue a shinobi's blind strength or should she strip off her armor and live the simple life?

\- ❀ -

The Haruno district is full of foreign shinobi.

Sakura loves sitting on her front door's porch and watching people pass by. If there is one thing she's learned from Ino, its how to squeeze out intel from small talk. And the Haruno district is teeming with so many civilians, foreign shinobi often come to the markets of civilians free of its local ninja to shop. It allows them to lower some of the standard shinobi paranoia, and to just feel some ease during their travels for a change.

And occasionally search for their targets, but that's a thought for another time.

Sipping her white tea (and oh gods that's hot she should have blown first!), Sakura spies an Ame nin poking the fruit stall eyeing a melon with his big, green eyes. Definitely bringing something home for the wife, Sakura chuckles to herself. Her eyes then next move to what seems to be a short Yuki nin - way too far from home and clearly loathing Fire Country's hot temperatures judging from the way he has his fluffy coat hanging over one arm as he searches a weapon stall for...is that a mace? - before looking somewhere else.

It says a lot about the Haruno streets for it to be almost devoid of Konoha ninja. On the one hand, you could say they - as Konoha locals - know its a largely populated civilian district with not much business going on for a ninja so they tend not to stop by.

On the other, Sakura thinks grimly, the Haruno are not one of the Noble clans and they literally have no status of interest for a Konoha ninja to even _want_ to mingle in. So of course a foreign shinobi would feel at ease walking amongst harmless civilians.

Yet another reason she doesn't understand the Hokage's decision to put her in such a team of two blazing galaxies. What business does a black hole have going in between galaxies?

"People-watching again, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura smiles in her teacup before lowering it and flashes her next-door neighbor a warm smile. "Good afternoon, Bihan-baa. Just...thinking really. It helps sort my thoughts." The older woman chuckles and moves to sit next to her so Sakura quickly moves over a little to give her space. "Ah sweetie..." She begins gently, moving a lavender lock away from her face before folding her hands in the sleeves of her kimono. "Even with these old eyes I see you are troubled." Bihan's smile then turns a little sly, "Now what did those boys do to you?"

Sakura splutters and quickly waves a hand, "N-Nothing like _that_ , baa-chan, really! I just..." And Sakura quickly looks away as the elder laughs at her flustered face, "...Well, let's just call it thinking over career options."

Bihan's laughter quiets down but the smile remains in place as she neither judges her nor asks for more details. Her eyes simply remain kind and she moves her hand to place it on top of the pinkette's head. "I am just teasing you, dear. Just know my door is always open if you need a little break."

Sakura smiles at her, blushing at the light scratching in her scalp. Then, because it's just the two of them she stage-whispers, "Did you just see that Ame nin looking over at the melons? I thought it was cute!" Bihan lets out a burst of hearty laughter and shakes her head, "Now dear, don't tease that poor man! Even Rain ninja must eat." But there is a mischievous twinkle in her eyes and Sakura smirk widens. "...Very much buying it for the wife."

Sakura has to bite the inside of her cheek not to burst into laughter, "Definitely!" She breathes whilst giggling softly. Setting her teacup on the wood next to her, Sakura leans back on her hands to look up at the sky. "Can I be honest?" Sakura asks her distant kinsman, and Bihan hums. "Always, my dear."

So Sakura speaks, quietly, but still looking for new insights. "...I don't think I'm cut out to be a kunoichi, baa-chan. Mom says I should at least...see if there's something I can do to work my strength up but...I don't know what I want to do right now. I don't want to keep on poking at something unnecessarily but..."

She hears Bihan hum softly next to her, mulling over her thoughts. Bihan-baa-chan was never a kunoichi, but she experienced the last two Great Shinobi Wars and lived to tell the tale. Many civilians of the Haruno district did in fact, and Sakura was both intrigued and mortified by the fact. 

Because _how_?

"Have you talked to your team about this, Sakura-chan?" Sakura slowly looks over to Bihan whom is assessing her with her soft mauve eyes. At the rigid shaking of her head, Bihan hums again. 

The fact the Wave mission is a disaster is only because _Sakura_ feels that way. Sakura is the one who noticed all the things wrong with it, while Naruto and Sasuke moved on never even aware something in their fragile team-dynamic already snapped. 

Sakura's fingers nearly splinter the wood of her porch when she accidentally charges to much chakra into them when the disgusting realization hits her. _She_ was assigned to Team 7 to repair the team-dynamic with her still-not-tangible yet very much considered to be unneeded skillset. Not considered a member of the team, but rather the goddamn _glue_ to keep the actual two team members together.

She was just there to soothe the ridiculous tension between her male teammates.

"...Baa-chan." Bihan turns to eye her calmly, seeing the subtle change in Sakura's demeanor. "...What will you do with this information, Sakura?" Sakura blinks, a little taken back the elder Haruno already understood she reached an epiphany, but Sakura finds she's still trying to come to terms with it. Bihan wasn't wrong in asking her what she wanted to do with this information. Normally, it would have ignited Sakura's anger and shouted a good old furious _Shanaroooooo!_ and be done with it. This wasn't that. It still didn't give her an-

"Excuse me, ma'am? Could you show me the quickest route to the Hokage tower?"

Sakura freezes at the voice, but Bihan's poise remains unshaken as she turns to meet a masked shinobi clad in black robes with a large ponytail and a black-and-white mask on his face. Sakura's eyes are stuck to the large katana on his back, vaguely aware the symbol he bears on his mask shows he's a nin from Kemurigakure. 

_Too far from home_ , Sakura thinks as she swallows. She's had enough encounters with foreign nin for a while to think she'd much rather watch them rather than engage with them.

Bihan notices.

"I'm sorry ma'am, I'm not sure if you heard me-" The man insists again, and the old woman slowly rises to meet his clouded eyes. "Not to worry young man, I am not deaf." The tone is light, but Sakura's paranoia has been shaken awake enough to know her neighbor might have had a reason to survive Shinobi Wars.

The hairs on her neck rise with the static hum of chakra use.

A civilian charging hostile intent is something every shinobi picks upon. Chakra is menacing, no matter how gently you apply it, everyone knows it is used for combat and not to water the damn plants. The gentle days of the Sage are over, and chakra's purpose has changed.

"The Hokage tower's route is not information I may give out, but perhaps you could ask a local shinobi of Konoha instead?" Bihan urges on, and turns to look into the opposite direction of the street, "Now, if you are to follow this path you should come to the main road of the village, I'm sure if you asked nicely a Konoha nin will-"

"I'm asking _you_ , ma'am." The shinobi interrupts her, and Sakura has never wanted to feel urgency cry at her again to do _something_ , because she doesn't have anything to attribute yet but-

Emerald eyes widen at the coming current signaling chakra usage and it feels wrong, unholy and so _powerful_ \- the sudden grunt the shinobi makes when he grabs Bihan's wrist, and Sakura's eyes are normal and nothing out of the ordinary but even she sees glittering, volatile chakra surface in the old woman's veins and the shinobi retracts his hand in pain.

Bihan does nothing but fold her hand back in her sleeve, unimpressed with the severity of her deed and retracts her unnerving chakra. "Now, shinobi-san, would you be so kind as to find a local ninja to help you on your way?" The man regards her with a gimlet stare - his hand shaking at whatever effect the old woman just blasted him with - before he shunshins away wordlessly. 

Bihan turns around and waves Sakura to come over with that same unyielded smile, and all Sakura remembers is one thing as she obediently trots over. Bihan blinks at Sakura's astonished expression, and pulls her hand out of her kimono's sleeve to gently pat Sakura's cheek. 

"Still with me, dear?" Bihan asks her with a cheeky grin, but Sakura doesn't answer. "Baa-chan..." She asks her quietly, "What...was _that_?"

The old woman smiles fondly, though Sakura can clearly see there is also sadness and grief from having seen too many things. Things that caused that power Sakura had just witnessed to be needed.

"That, Sakura-chan, is how I and the other members of your family survived the very Warring State period."

Sakura's mouth clicks shut slowly. "You...but I thought our clan doesn't have...clan techniques?" Something shifts in Bihan's eyes, and Sakura feels something missing. "My dear Sakura, shinobi tend to force the hand of the kindest pacifist to at least learn how to defend themselves." Bihan looks away momentarily, at their kinsmen pacing around the market wistfully. 

"Do you know why that shinobi decided to address me?" She then suddenly asks, and Sakura's ' _huh?'_ is uttered loudly and Bihan laughs. "Oh come now dear, bear with me. He could have asked anyone else from this crowd for directions. Obviously he should have gone to ask his directions to a _shinobi_ instead, yet still came to me. Now, tell me why do you think that is?"

Sakura didn't exactly expect a test in the middle of her own street, but she decided to play along. Bihan looked...frail. She was small in frame, her long lavender hair tied neatly into a bun and with her stark white kimono the woman practically screamed frailty.

And Sakura had known this woman all her life. She babysat Sakura and was family despite their distant relation.

"He thought..." Sakura begins, getting her thoughts ready. "...he might have seen you as a target lacking willpower? So he could persuade you easily into cooperating with him?" Bihan smiles and nods, "Indeed Sakura, and I know that isn't the most difficult conclusion to come to, but he truly thought I was _harmless_. He never expected me to be able to defend myself, and he never expected me to do it in the way that I did." 

Sakura's ears perk up. "The way...that you did? Baa-chan, what exactly did you do?"

And Bihan smiles that knowing old lady smile, eyes glistening with Sakura's growing intrigue. "I defused the very chakra in his network system."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see so many BAMF Sakura fics, yet either they all turn her into an overpowered bitch or worse give her power too fast and...I am looking for something else. Gonna try something else. I hope haha!
> 
> Basically, Sakura has lots of potential the fandom just doesn't acknowledge. Or Kishi for that matter... I basically have a fuckload of ideas on the Naruto lore from the days I was heavily into making Naruto OCs. Don't mind me guys, I want to add my fair share of giving love to the characters that deserve them. :D
> 
> So, bear with me haha! Tell me what you think in the comments or follow my links below (I recommend coming to my Twitter, my Tumblr is so broken omg) and come talk to me! (also, I'm slow to update because my original story Jade Kingdoms takes up all my time and art, just so you know!)


	2. Cuts of the weak

Naruto has a habit of sitting on her porch at times.

The edges of his blonde strands greet Sakura when she peers from her windowsill blinking at the golden hairs poking from the bottom below. Sakura hums as she ponders her next move, faintly aware of how Naruto's presence is making her both uncomfortable yet curious to learn why her flamboyant teammate decided to stop by.

Much of yesterday was spent sorting out the unspoken offer her neighbor made to come and learn more about the strange technique (Sakura wasn't sure that is what she saw, but still) Granny Bihan used on the could-have-been-friendlier Kemuri nin. Although Sakura is curious, it didn't mean she had planned a meeting with any of her old teammates so soon.

It's not that she wasn't ready, its more she still felt too ashamed to come and greet them. In the week of isolating herself, Sakura still didn't claim a miraculous a new nindo, creed or whatever- all she had was a need to understand what she wanted with her life. Did that include the pursue of raw strength and if so what did she want to use all of that power for? There were no answers yet.

Because Wave helped her realize a third thing. It made Sakura aware she's not been treating Naruto well. Heck, she hasn't even been treating Sasuke well. And last but not least, she hasn't even treated _herself_ well.

After seeing how Naruto was adamant about taking care of her, make sure she was protected- it made Sakura fly into a state of mourning at how unjustly unkind she's been. Her lack of skill aside, using Naruto as a way to exert all her raging emotions on was a terrible decision to make in her short life. She knows she's been far too harsh with him, always accusing him of seemingly coming in between her and her non-existent chance of ever becoming Sasuke's lover. 

Sasuke on the other hand, Sakura has only been objectifying to serve her needs. He used to be her crush, but it's that same crush that keeps on trampling on her own feelings because he's too caught up in his own. In retrospect, Sakura's been also adding this projecting of frustration on Naruto. It made Sakura retract her childish love and deflate it into...really what has it become now?

Tolerance? Acceptance? Definitely not yet the latter, Sakura decides with a sour taste in her mouth. Maybe mild affection, although Sakura must wistfully admit even that is dying out.

Zabuza and Haku had shown Sakura a glimpse of what true teamwork can be like, and out of respect for her enemies' unwitting teachings, Sakura tries to understand her faults. It has been making Sakura ponder on how to find a better way to be kind to her team- No.

_Friends._

Naruto can be a friend. Not just a teammate. She can try, right? Maybe one day even Sasuke can be that. 

So she quietly opens the door, careful not to jerk his shinobi senses awake and spies the large white plastic bag sitting next to him. Naruto turns at the sound of her door opening, and the smile he gives her is so brilliant and it could make Sakura weep. "Sakura-chan!" He greets her, and Sakura raises a shy hand up. "Good morning, Naruto. Did you sleep well?" 

She closes her door and moves so she can sit next to him. Naruto's grin deflates a little, a little caught off guard by her question, before nervously scratching the back of his head as he laughs quietly. "Oh, I uh...I did. Thank you for asking, Sakura-chan...what about you?"

Sakura smiles as she recalls how Zabuza and Haku taught her something else about teamwork as well. She remembers the amount of trust and care, the absolute absence of needing words to move together in such a sync. She wanted that someday too, but perhaps not with a team per se.

But rather with a friend.

"I slept good, Naruto." She replies after a while, maintaining her smile. Naruto nods at her, and suddenly remembers the bag he brought with him. "Oh! Check this out, Sakura-chan, I got you something!" And the Uzumaki draws out the last word in a sing-song voice as he places the bag on his lap and fishes out a cup of ramen from it. "Ta-daaa! I brought you all kinds of ramen flavors! I even got some you might like, oh and this one has less salt, oh and these three are actually really sweet so careful when eating them or you'll end up hyper like me and...eh...you know..." And he shrinks a little in himself, but still keeps a small smile etched to his face as he seems to recall a thought and all Sakura can do in that moment is understand. 

Because she truly does.

"I haven't seen or heard from you all week and...Kakashi-sensei said to give you the space you needed but...I guess I just...wanted to see you. You know, how you are doing...how you are feeling...those kind of things?" He looks to her shyly and Sakura smiles softly. "Well, thank you for the coming, Naruto. I'm really glad you did." She says to him, because she promised herself she'd try. And Naruto seems to blink at her lack of berating him as well, since he blurts out, "You're not mad at me for coming? I wanted to bring Sasuke too but-"

Sakura quickly holds up a hand, and Naruto sees something uneasy pass her eyes at the mentioning of the Uchiha, but curiosity is a strong thing. "Is...everything alright, Sakura-chan? Did you two get...into a fight?"

Naruto's confidence sounds thin, and Sakura feels her heart sink. It's not that she can blame him; up until now all she's done is be head-over-heels for Sasuke. All she ever did was for Sasuke. Now Sakura isn't sure everything she wants to do _should_ include Sasuke. 

But she does know she isn't going force the boy into liking her again. 

Thus her focus shifts back to Naruto, and she gives her olive branch a final check-up before extending it to Naruto. "Naruto. I'm sorry." Naruto blinks, a little horrified at the regretful tone in her voice. Sakura looks him straight in the eye and shakes her head with a small smile. "No, Sasuke-kun and I didn't get into a fight but...I haven't been feeling all too proud with myself since the mission to the Land of Waves. I've...been given it a lot of thought this past week and I understand how far behind I am on the both of you. And..."

With careful hands, she lifts the bag from Naruto's lap to place it on her own, looking at the many ramen cups fondly. "...I haven't been kind to you, Naruto. I haven't even been kind to Sasuke."

Naruto puffs himself up to protest, because all Sakura's been doing is be nothing but kind to Sauke but Sakura chuckles and quickly squeezes his lips shut with her fingers, Naruto stammering. She flashes him an apologetic smile, but continues undeterred. "I know what you were going to say, all I've done so far is worship the very ground Sasuke walked upon, right? But...I don't think I've been doing Sasuke any favors by doing that." Giving him one more teasing squeeze, she releases his lips, and Naruto can only stare at her, at this...strange new aura she's emitting.

"I want to help, Naruto. I want to...I want to find out _how_ I can help. Without undermining who I want to be." Slowly her smile widens, and Sakura pulls out a cup of ramen and offers it (having made sure not to give the vegetarian one to him) to her teammate. "And I want to be a friend to you, so from now on I want you to tell me what you need from me in order for me to make amends, ok?"

He's not crying dangit. 

But Naruto's eyes are shining with something as he gently takes the offered ramen back from Sakura before smiles broadly. "Thanks, Sakura-chan...I'd really like that. And...you know...um...thank you."

His teammate laughs softly, standing up and offering him a hand to pull him to his feet. "Um...Sakura-chan...if I can ask...are you gonna come back to Team 7?" Its hard to look into those big blue eyes and not see the emotion (and fear for that matter) awaiting her dreaded answer. Sakura looks to him worriedly before she turns her gaze to look out into the streets of her district. "Honestly...I want to. But I also know right now I wouldn't be an asset, Naruto. So if it's alright with you...I'd like a little more time. Figure out what I should do you know?"

 _I'm not about to drag you down again_ , is what Sakura withholds from saying.

He looks sad, holding his newly acquired ramen cup close to his chest. "...Ok, Sakura-chan. I will give you the time you need." Naruto says wistfully, but then blinks in confusion when Sakura pokes her finger gently at his ramen cup, and Naruto looks up to receive a warm smile from the pinkette. "You make sure to come over and eat a cup with me as often as possible, ok?" Sakura says with bright eyes, and that blazing smile returns to her teammate's face. "Really? Can I come tonight? Oh, maybe tomorrow after training??"

Sakura giggles, fond of the blonde's excited demeanor and rests a hand on Naruto's shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "Come whenever you want, ok?" Then Sakura raises a finger and her stone becomes strict. "Weekends are mandatory. You need a more varied diet you know, and mom always cooks way too much for just the three of us."

Naruto's face twists into something Sakura isn't sure she's seen before. She knows he lives alone. She knows what the village thinks of him.

She also promised herself she wants to be his friend and finds she wants to offer him more than just an olive branch. A safe haven without judgement, Sakura thinks as she glances again at the Haruno district, should be the least she can do for him.

And if Naruto ever decides to drag Sasuke to dinner along with him, Sakura might not even mind.

\- ❀ -

Granny Bihan love rhubarbs. Sakura has no idea what to do with that knowledge.

When she decided to visit her adoptive Gran, the first thing Sakura is greeted with is a glass of freshly-made rhubarb juice with the stem sticking out of it. Bihan-baa also pushes it into her hands with what Sakura calls 'old people's strength' and one does NOT say no to old people's strength.

So like a good grandchild, she sips the atrocious liquid whilst maneuvering herself past the unholy amount of plants to sit at Bihan-baa's kitchen table, eyeing the excessive amount of worn journals, scrolls and countless of clipped notes.

"I'll be right with you dear, just fixing us a snack!" Bihan calls from the kitchen, and Sakura quickly chugs down her juice before she knows she will be stared down to death. 

Putting the glass down, Sakura curiously plucks out the stem from her glass and chews on it without much thought. One thing guiding her impulsiveness to chew on her creepy vegetable, is the conversation with Naruto earlier this morning. It will no doubt mean Kakashi is probably the next in line to come stalk her window to give her a check-up, and Sakura is fairly confident she won't have to worry for the Uchiha to copy his teammates here. For now.

 _Not yet the time_ , Sakura thinks, if only not until she has closed the unnerving gap in her social skills on how to deal with brooding Uchiha.

So given how meeting Kakashi is only a matter of time, Sakura ponders on what she could present to him next time they meet. And somehow convince him she hasn't become yet another ninja with PTSD. 

A plate of spicy dango is then placed in front of her, and Sakura quirks an eyebrow (stalk still in her mouth) at Bihan-baa because Sakura and spicy food simply do not go together. But her gran is winking at her and also places down an old worn journal filled with note clippings sticking out of its pages.

Emerald eyes grow big as saucers when Bihan-baa flips open her journal for Sakura to see countless of diagrams, notes and endless pages of instructions compiled over on what must have taken years of research. "Are these..." Sakura begins, putting aside her stalk and with careful hands flips the next few pages to scan through them. "These are my research notes on chakra, my dear." Bihan comments with a wry smile, dipping her dango in her spicy hot sauce. "The first 50 pages are about the very make-up on chakra and how the molding process is commonly taught to beginning shinobi."

Sakura lays down the journal flat on the table for her adoptive gran to slowly flip to about one-third of the book before Sakura sees the complex drawings showing the chakra network system, and a chart of a stick figure with its...what is that, is that its network system next to it? And is that stick figure glowing? Sakura sees stripes all around it and suspects its supposed to be glowing.

"You've been researching chakra, and I think...I understand what you tried to sum up here. But may I ask what your stick figure is doing, baa-chan?" And Sakura squints once more to find the notes next to it written in such tiny letters she has trouble reading the explanation. Bihan chuckles softly and flips a few pages back to help the young Haruno out.

"The network system," Bihan-baa begins, showing Sakura a drawing of the human body with its network coils, "is a way for our bodies to naturally let the energies we live on flow. Chakra is merely the accumulation of that flow, always being the maximum ability of your physical and spiritual capacity. Shinobi train themselves to enhance that maximum state throughout their lives, and depending on their skill, the network system might grow with your ability to store that chakra." 

Sakura is then shown a sketch of a network system with far more branches and extensions than that of the average Chuunin drawn next to it. Needless to say, Sakura sees with growing curiosity, training really does make a difference. "...And is this depicting a whole ninja career, Bihan-baa?" Sakura ponders out loud, tracing the complex network of chakra coils with her fingers.

"You might say it rather shows a ninja that knew how to reach the peak of their potential." Bihan formulates instead, and Sakura looks up at her blinking in mild confusion. "Be they in their 30s or in their 70s, a ninja's experience only comes through if their system was able to bend according to their will. Contrary to popular belief, we've got plenty of retired ninja living out the rest of their days quietly, but I can promise you Sakura-chan, many of them have only the chakra capacity of a Chuunin."

The knowledge makes Sakura gulp. "But..." At her confusion, Bihan's expression softens. "A lot of the Jonin have been claimed to the Great Shinobi wars. The Second and Third especially did a number on many good Jonin, and here I do not speak of just Konoha shinobi. Skilled swordsmen from Kiri and Kumo, the relentless stamina of Ame squads, the one-man army techniques from shinobi hailing as far as Yuki...Iwa's usage of terain...so many good shinobi lost their lives yet villages pretend they were the ones to suffer the most losses. That attitude is why grudges last long enough to ignite the next war."

Sakura sees her neighbor's expression become sharp at her recollection and it makes her sit a little straighter. "Sakura-chan...what I'm about to tell you is the reason the Haruno, and many other unfamed clans, survived for generations. You may for certain see it as something controversial, and it may go against what you learned about chakra in the academy thus far."

She isn't being told to keep it a secret or that the very knowledge might endanger her life. Neither is Sakura told that there is no going back or that this is the holy knowledge that could steer her forward. It's still her choice if Sakura decides to act on it.

"I want to learn, baa-chan." Is what she quietly admits and Sakura eyes the journal a little wistfully. "If not for the sake of my shinobi career... then at least because it's family history." She looks back up at Bihan. "I hope that's ok."

Bihan smiles gently at her, and nods. "Eat your food, Sakura-chan. And listen to me carefully." Sakura nods, smiling warmly, and takes a dango whilst bravely ignoring the prickly spice when she takes a bite. "During the Warring States period, clans were interlocked in feuds that would last well over generations. But in between those black pages are also atrocities committed towards people who couldn't fight. Common folk and simple civilians in the current age of shinobi, are always caught in the crossfire. No matter how much diplomacy was exhausted, the majority of the casualties and war atrocities came to fall on the civilian side of the conflicts."

A deep frown knits the old woman's eyebrows together, and Bihan sighs at the aggravating knowledge. "The high clans did not want to pull their punches, no matter how hard you begged. They used the 'greater good' mantra as an excuse to raze down the lands of those that had no means to fight back. In the middle of it all, stood our family and behind them many others now lost in the flames of war."

Mauve eyes lock with emerald ones and Sakura feels something cold creep up her spine. "It wasn't until so many sons and daughters were lost, something collectively snapped in the minds of those that couldn't wield a weapon. A plan was demanded and soon devised, and from it came a bastard's technique to strike down fighters using their own weapon of choice." 

Sakura is hanging onto her gran's lips as Bihan-baa flips her journal back to the 'glowing' stick-figure. "I noticed my stick-man caught your eye, didn't he?" Bihan says with a chuckle, and Sakura is a little disappointed the building tension is being halted by the interruption, but nods still. "He did, baa-chan. I thought he was glowing and I wasn't able to read your sidenotes because...well...um...they're tiny, baa-chan." Her gran blinks. "I was saving paper by writing in small letters, dear." Sakura gives a small snort and drops the matter to pop another dango in her mouth.

Turning her journal around, Bihan takes one of the notes sticking from the pages and places it next to the stick figure. "And our stick-man isn't glowing, Sakura-chan." Bihan continued, tapping at her note. "The drawing is meant to show his chakra is no longer squeezed into his network system, in fact..."

Sakura blinks at the radiant smile coming to her elder's lips as she looks fondly at the drawing. "...all chakra is carried by all the cells of the body instead." Bihan looks up to meet Sakura's startled gaze, grinning still. "It is why our Kemuri visitor couldn't touch me, Sakura-chan. My very chakra collided with that of his own and because of the way I use mine, his responded as if it was its very nemesis."

The next dango Sakura planned to pop into her mouth hangs still in mid-air. "...Is that...what you meant by 'striking down fighters with their own weapon of choice'? There should be another step to it, right? The actual reason it hurt him so?" She asks carefully, and Sakura can barely process the magnitude of carrying all that chakra within the cells of the body and _not_ explode right on the spot, nor imagine the behemoth control her gran must have. Or any other Haruno for that matter. Or by the Sage, every other civilian could be a walking chakra-trap.

Bihan grins with that eerie 'old people's' smile that is full of knowing and glee. "I'm getting there, dear. In order to give chakra the freedom to roam freely within your cells, thus equally dividing the burden, one must change its frequency to such a thing the cells can survive that same burden. However, what works for your cells doesn't work for your network system. In fact, a shinobi's network system sees this frequency as a deadly threat, and in order to protect itself, it causes chakra to split itself into its separate forms- the yin and yang chakra. Think of it as running away from what you're doing, but it doesn't just stop with 'running' away."

Bihan takes her journal again and flips to the near end of its pages, showing Sakura a diagram to match her explanation. And what Sakura sees is their 'glowing' stick-man again, but next to him is another stick figure, crumpled to the ground with dots all around him, and an obvious headband to show its a shinobi. "See it as chakra becoming anti-matter to the chakra normally a shinobi would use." Bihan explains whilst pointing at her drawings. "Chakra moves _constantly_ , my dear. If suddenly chakra vibrating like anti-matter were to come into contact with the frequency of a shinobi's chakra, the shinobi's chakra would nullify itself into its basic parts yet keep on disintegrating until nothing is left. A natural unspoken order in this world of creation and destruction. It tries to run away, but it can't. With the alien vibrations in its systems, running away causes it to only do more damage to itself, hence it fading away completely."

Sakura's brow knits together as she realizes the crumpled shinobi's doodle, is meant to show the disintegration of chakra.

Sharpening her gaze, Bihan steeples her fingers under her chin and gives Sakura a thoughtful glance, sizing her up before summing up her lesson. "We, the lower castes of civilization, tired of the suffering befalling our people decided to turn the very weapon used by our enemies, their chakra, into their greatest weakness. Pulling our chakra from its coiled prison, we've reverted it back to its primal, volatile state, turning it deadly to the chakra of a shinobi. Our chakra deconstructs a shinobi's chakra into nothing, eating their reserves and ninjutsu until nothing is left. That Kemuri ninja that spoke to me yesterday? I could have blown his network system to smithereens, my dear, but out of respect for the laws of this village, I did not. You saw what I did to his hand, it may take months for the poor soul to try and weave a sign again, and even then...I fear it will hurt him."

Sakura watches her gran quietly. It explains the ominous feeling she had when Bihan-baa charged up her chakra so much, because her senses _knew_ it was unnatural. "But a shinobi can still kill us with a weapon, baa-chan." Is what Sakura adds as a side note, and Bihan nods at her conclusion, though it is a sorrowful one. "All of us can die by the blade, sweetheart, but at least without chakra the playfield becomes a little fairer for us to dance on."

Sakura nods, solemnly and sighs as she scrubs her hands down her face. "Baa-chan, this is..." Sakura peeks up through her bangs, "...It's a lot to take in. It sounds...amazing...empowering for sure...but I cannot help but feel its got a lot of downsides to it."

"It does, my dear." And the tone in her gran's voice is wistful, but still undeterred. "What you basically do is force chakra to go back into its original volatile form. Chakra by nature is volatile, not meant to be carried in the human body, even if the Sage's intentions might not have been ill-willed when he shared the very power he once hoarded. If chakra was meant to be wielded by humans, no one would die of chakra exhaustion, my dear. The body and the spirit would find means to evolve along wth it, yet after thousands of years if anything chakra has begun to dwindle in its intensity. No one born in the current age will ever be as strong as Uchiha Madara for example, or even Hashirama Senju."

Sakura mulls that knowledge over, frowning when she finds the need for reassurance still not ebbing. "Baa-chan, say that I ever want to try this...what did you call it, chakra deconstruction? What would be...the requirements for it?" 

Her gran hums again as she dips another dango in her hot sauce. "A civilian that never dredged up chakra before, is easier taught to take back their chakra to its primal shapes. Deconstructing chakra means learning how to synchronize yours to nearly always be the polar opposite of that of your opponent. A civilian wouldn't use ninjutsu to disrupt that constant flow of volatile state. You however, my sweet Sakura, might have a harder time to keep it volatile. You now know how a shinobi's chakra feels like, going back will require you to let go of commonly-taught control and learn types of control that will go against your very instincts. If it goes well however, you may even learn new ways of trusting your body." 

Bihan-baa moves to take Sakura's hands and squeeze them lovingly. "You're right when you say it has many downsides, my dear. Medical ninjutsu may not sync with your chakra anymore when you have serious injuries, and usage of even the most basic ninjutsu and genjutsu may cause your chakra to go haywire and damage you. Switching back and forth from deconstruction to _constructing_ chakra, as ninjutsu and genjustu do, isn't as simple. Often, you pick only one to side with, as switching might break your body from the inside out."

There is a pause as the Haruno elder measures her words carefully. "The amount of control needed, might be its worse downside. I called this a bastardly technique because while its fairly accessible in use, it can cause too much damage to one's own body with each usage. Control is key, but that control sits on even higher peaks than what medical ninjutsu requires. It is basically a last-resort type of technique, yet forced in use at the call of a whim. It is not a friendly weapon to wield, my dear."

Sakura goes very still, and slowly grasps her gran's hands tight. "Is this why...our family doesn't use it anymore? Or...anyone outside of it?" Bihan nods slowly, and rubs Sakura's fingers in reassurance. "Many Haruno embraced their shinobi careers. The few that dared experiment suffered grave consequences. The use of deconstruction techniques outside our clan died faster than it ever sparked alive, causing the world to consider this technique as one of the many failed experiments of history."

She looks at her adoptive grandchild and smiles gently. "I am not saying you can't do it, my dear. But I do want you to think it through on how you want to use this. There are very few people left in this wide world that could help you with this, and those that do are not limited to be just found within the confines of our people. How about you take my journal with you and study it well, and should you ever want to learn this, I will help you."

It's so much to take in. It's not even the 'aha!' moment that Sakura thought was going to pull her broken Genin career out of its slump. But it intrigues her still, gnaws at that urge to learn and collect knowledge and Sakura wonders if this is who she is meant to be. Chakra deconstruction truly does live up to the 'bastard technique' title her gran gave it. A thought then strikes her, because baa-chan mentioned only ninjutsu and genjutsu interfering with chakra deconstruction.

"Would...taijutsu still work, baa-chan?" Sakura quickly asks before she forgets. "On both ends I mean." And Bihan-baa looks down at their hands, folded over one another. "In the beginning, touching another person will be difficult. Your body will become dangerous so long as you do not have absolute control in how to push and pull the current of your chakra." 

And then Sakura's elder laughs quietly. "But as you can see with me currently, I am doing fine now. I am not hurting you, am I?" Bihan's hands are warm and Sakura shakes her head upon finding nothing strange, "No...you're not. Your control must be off the charts, Bihan-baa."

All Sakura is given at this statement, is again that creepy 'old people's' smile full of knowing.

But Sakura's thoughts are already whirring, having listened to her neighbor's tale and found two things she might be able to work with, whether deciding to add chakra deconstruction to her arsenal or not.

Taijutsu and chakra control. These two things Kakashi could actually help her with, Sakura realizes as she picks up her rhubarb stem to gnaw on it again.

\- ❀ -

Sensei appears at her window exactly three days later.

He has no idea why she greets him with a glass of fresh rhubarb juice, however.

\- ❀ -

"Wave was a catastrophe. At least it was for me."

Kakashi's single eye is wide with the amount of self-awareness his only female (and favorite) student accumulated in the course of a mere week. He also spies her desk full of pieces of paper scribbled under with bright pink ink, having occupied herself with making diagrams and complex physics calculations that make him wonder if Sakura isn't somehow driven by sheer madness instead.

Naruto seemed eerily bubbly ever since his earlier conversation with Sakura, and Kakashi's blood pressure has been living at his ceiling ever since. 

Somewhere he could say Sakura is being too hard on herself, and the amount of conviction he hears bleed into her words make it impossible to mirror her to Rin any longer. Rin had conviction, but never saw disaster coming. Sakura, on the other hand, seemed to never have a need conviction until disaster happened. Up until now there had been no need for her but to play the part of the appeasing diplomat, ensuring Naruto and Sasuke would get along okay.

Sakura however decided thrown her diplomat status into the nearest river and went on the hunt for another role to play. So Kakashi listens.

"I know I am not anywhere near Naruto or Sasuke-kun's level in terms of skill. And honestly, I do not know how to get there either." Sakura says softly to her sensei from her position on her bed. Kakashi is calmly sitting on the floor, legs outstretched before him while leaning against the window glass, his unholy porn book rested on his lap. 

Amongst Sakura's scribbles, Kakashi also saw the cloth attached to her headband sticking out from beneath the many papers. It looked untouched, and Kakashi understands the meaning of a shinobi's headband forced to gather dust. 

"Sakura." He says in that gentle tone voice of his, peering lazily at her hidden headband. The pinkette blinks at his unusual serious tone before understanding where he has turned his gaze towards. "...Were you planning on leaving team 7?"

Sakura frowns, having expected sensei to be upfront but it still felt painful coming from him so casually. Naruto had asked too and she herself had questioned the matter out loud to her mother and kinsmen. Yet if Kakashi asked about it, it hurt. It felt wrong. "Did...you expect me to?" Sakura carefully counters with a frown, because really what shinobi wouldn't expect her to with her civilian background. "...And be honest." She adds then after some thought, because if sensei has decided they need to clear the air by making the conversation as uncomfortable as possible, it might be better to get it over with.

Kakashi's single eye crinkles with a playful smile. "Maa, would you be able to tell if I didn't, Sakura-chan?"

Emerald eyes narrow, and Sakura resists every need to pout at him. Of course sensei decided now is the time to mess with her a bit, but that didn't mean she couldn't try mess with him in return. She might currently be a shinobi with a severe allergy to her headband, but that didn't mean Sakura was stupid.

Or any less dangerous.

" _Yes._ " Sakura says with the sweetness of sour candies, and adorns a saccharine smile for extra points. It wasn't a bluff; she's been breaking her own mind overthinking every possible answer this whole week, leaving nothing hurtful unturned. As she recalls her nightly pacings, Sakura's eyes slide over to the empty glass of rhubarb juice sitting next to Kakashi on the floor - offered upon his visit - and the ridiculous (if not somewhat playful) tension suddenly becomes airy altogether.

He left the stem. Somehow it humors Sakura.

Kakashi follows Sakura's gaze to his now empty glass, and the crinkle returns to his eye. "It was good." He comments, and Sakura sighs dramatically. "Grandma's recipe." The pinkette mutters, having sudden war flashbacks to eating the actual stem. "I do not think you should quit Team 7, Sakura-chan." The Copy nin then says after a while, and its a tone that sounds similar as if he was addressing a bunch of unruly children. "Naturally there are plenty of ways for you to improve in your skill..."

Sakura braces herself, gaze glued to Kakashi as he carefully places his hands on his book. "...I just wish you weren't so hard on yourself. Either one of you." 

There are many answers hidden in that one sentence. However, Sakura thinks wryly, it felt like a truly illogical statement to make. "Why?" She asks, and Sakura isn't too proud of the bitterness in her voice. "Imagine if I never came to this conclusion, you eventually would have held it against me, would you not? And if not you, surely I'd be summoned to Hokage-sama's doorstep next with questions on why I am not yet fit for combat."

Kakashi swears in those few words, Sakura ages decades and he truly has nothing in his social skill bag to aid him here. "I'm sure that-" He attempts to soothe her, but Sakura interrupts him, holding up a hand. "Sensei, please listen." And Kakashi stills, a bit reluctantly, but Sakura takes the opening. "...Imagine if Haku had actually killed Sasuke-kun on that bridge."

Kakashi's eye narrows, and Sakura's own eyes become clouded with something both are aware of but prefer not to address out loud. "I'm not saying it wouldn't have motivated me in pursuing what I am now...but I can promise you I'd be a mess. I would spend hours crying in this very room. For months." She looks him sorrowfully in the eyes. "...Years. I might never have gotten over it, sensei. Crying over a boy that didn't even love me back, nor ever acknowledged me for existing. And do you know what every other shinobi in the village would say to me?"

Kakashi knows. Had the unfortunate experience of living through it himself. But Sakura brings up that tragic smile again, the edges of contempt clinging to it. "I'd be told to 'grow up'. I would be told to get over myself and grow a pair. Shake it off, and go back to doing whatever it is Hokage-sama would ask of me."

Nimble fingers tighten over the cover of his book, before Kakashi slowly shoves it into the pouch on his back. There are ANBU, Kakashi thinks grimly, that do not even dare voice these very same thoughts under penalty of death even. But somehow, Sakura's first serious mission left more than just an impression on her. Kakashi wonders if the impressions aren't in fact dents and craters.

Sakura is fiddling with the ends of her red dress, and gives a long sigh before moving her stray hair back. "Sensei. You asked me if I was planning on leaving Team 7. The honest answer is, no..."

Emerald seizes obsidian orbs and Kakashi holds his breath. "...but I'm not fit for active duty now either." Kakashi's mouth opens with a retort, before to slowly clicks shut. Somehow...the pieces of knowledge in his head are given more puzzle pieces that both fit yet still leave many gaps on the state of his student, though each at a much smaller size. And yet...

...Kakashi has sent entire hordes of academy students back to re-invent actual teamwork in memory of the wake-up call Obito had imprinted on him so long ago. Kakashi didn't expect one of the few to pass his tests to actually want to pull out. Well...sort off. 

"Well, Sakura-chan. You sure have thought much of this out already, I see..." Kakashi slowly begins, trying to find something to help his student with. She wasn't fully planning on quitting, so Kakashi assumes he still was allowed a spot in her life. "What do you need of me, Sakura?" The least Kakashi can do for her, is help Sakura in the same way he would Naruto and Sasuke.

It also means he has to admit that up until now, he saw no need to steer Sakura forward. Kakashi feels he might be able to make amends by letting her take the wheel in what she needs instead.

Sensing the shift in the air, Sakura looks him over before nodding and taking up his offer of help. Swiftly, she then hops off her bed to sift through her stacks of paper to pull out a large piece with the complex diagrams Kakashi spied earlier. Sitting back on her bed, Sakura mulls over her drawings before looking at her sensei. "...I am working on something. Well, researching and no, I am not sure if I am going to add it to my skillset yet, but it does require me to train myself in certain ninja arts I am currently weak in. So..."

And she flips her paper to show Kakashi her scribbles of what are supposed to be taijutsu katas - many of them appearing to be blocks and parries and a crazy amount of dodging that might tire out even a seasoned ANBU - and Kakashi wonders what on earth his student has sunken her teeth into in order for her defenses to carry a need to sky-rocket so high not even a meteor falling on her head would deter her. 

He looks at Sakura with a wide eye, and Sakura blushes as she pulls her paper sheet close to her chest. "W-well. My taijutsu is terrible even at its current best, sensei. I really do need help there." And Kakashi would have nodded if he hadn't also seen the lower half of her drawings (stick-figures really) with linework next to it which Kakashi knows was a depiction of the network system. 

The chakra network system and taijutsu do not often need to come together unless you are a Hyuuga or a gate-smasher like Guy and Lee are.

Kakashi looks at his petite student - those big green eyes doing that thing he knows he cannot say no to - and sees something more than just a slightly-less-than-average-ninja in her demeanor. She's been scratching the surface of something big, and even Kakashi can sense Sakura is still testing the waters in order to see if it's going to be her thing or not.

And so the Copy nin sighs, resigning himself to his new fate, scrubbing his face for what he knows might even become a more complex path than whatever unholy Naruto or Sasuke would have asked of him. "...I'll need another glass of that rhubarb juice."

Sakura's glee radiates off her in such waves, it nearly blasts him out of the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH LOOK, ITS A FAST UPDATE! Seriously, thank you all so much for the kind comments??!?! My fics never get that much love, so I am truly humbled by you all. Thank you so much. 
> 
> So! I worked on this chapter pretty fast, which is not a given as I can disappear for months and then suddenly drop a beast of a chapter next, haha! I wanted to use this chapter to take some liberties on explaining just what the heck I'm about to do for our girl, and also plan out my next moves with her. Kakashi btw is fucking difficult to write, how in the world are y'all doing that???? 
> 
> I want my Sakura to be a bit more mature, because I'm steering her towards a role that in somewhere in between a ninja and being a civilian, using strengths from both camps to flesh out her character.
> 
> I hope you like my ideas however, and know there are some other characters I plan on taking a more interesting stance with. As mentioned in the tags, my Akatsuki for example won't be just some villianous world-domination seeking organization either and lord known I need to flesh out so many Haruno ladies. And finally, I want to explore on a more wholesome Team 7 dynamic that isn't going to make me cringe as sadly so many Strong!Sakura fics tend to do...
> 
> But the buildup of everything will progress slowly! I know we want to get to the good parts fast but eh...I like it slow? 
> 
> I certainly hope you like what I've been doing so far and if I update slow as a snail its because I'm working on my original story Jade Kingdoms too. :) Well loves, happy new years in advance, let me know what you think in the comments and thank you for all your support so far!


	3. Protests of the frail

Asking Kakashi-sensei for help didn't make Sakura think they'd go grocery shopping. 

If anything - the young Haruno thinks as she frowns - sharing her current diet with her sensei and having been stared at as if she'd been famishing herself for years, made her cringe uncomfortably. 

'If you want to have defensive taijutsu at your disposal, your muscle build needs to be able to access your protein deposits. That way it will remain sturdy.' Kakashi had reprimanded her, and thus Sakura is dragged to learn about which foods she must eat in order to help her both build and maintain muscle. And so, Sakura throws in various meats, vegetables and even seeds (for extra iron, Kakashi had insisted) and both of them had afterwards sat down to write Sakura a new daily diet.

They still hadn't done a single taijutsu lesson all morning, and it makes Sakura want to smack Kakashi with the pickle pot she knows is sitting at the top of her grocery bag. 

What Sakura didn't expect Kakashi to advise her as one of her future options, was to ask an ANBU for a spar.

"Wait, what do you mean ask a _Black-Ops_ agent for a sparring session??" Sakura had asked aghast, already fiddling to toss her pickle pot at Kakashi's grinning face. Said scarecrow innocently held up his hands, laughing uneasily. "Maa, maa...Sakura-chan...let me finish my suggestion ok?"

Sakura's face twists in growing agitation, leveling an angry finger at him. "Oh, you mean your suggestion to get me _killed_ right on the spot you mean??" Kakashi laughs quietly, before gently taking her finger and pulling it down from his face. "What I meant to say, is that you are currently searching on how to build defensive taijutsu, true?" Sakura's mouth sets itself into a thin line, but she nods. "Yes...my research indicates that taijutsu build for enduring might actually benefit me in the building of my new... _possible_ technique."

Kakashi stares at her. Sakura refuses to budge under his gaze. "I thought..." Kakashi begins carefully, "you planned on mastering your new technique?"

_If I don't, everybody and their mother is going to explode right on the spot whenever they touch me_ , is what Sakura doesn't say. Instead, she gently sets her bag down before folding her arms over her chest. "Kakashi-sensei." She begins, and narrows her eyes when the man blinks nonchalantly. "As I don't need to remind you I am still a Genin...why direct me to Black-Ops instead?"

The sudden outing of her thoughts makes Kakashi's eye widen a little, before he gives a soft huff as he places his hands in his pockets. At her current age, Kakashi isn't going to burden his students with the knowledge he used to be said Black-Ops _supreme_ commander. The simple fact is also Sakura is still lacking any muscle or stamina for Kakashi to even think of poking her with a finger and not have any of her bones broken. Even if Kakashi were to try, he himself would be constantly occupied with concern he might quite literally break her.

Regardless of Naruto and Sasuke's problematics, both boys always have had sturdy bodies. With Sakura, Kakashi is still finding the right middle ground. And no matter what one might think of ANBU, Kakashi knows every single member can actually handle the oddest skill levels in people. They may not be social any longer, but they have an entire textbook of human psychology cramped up in their heads.

At the very least - and Kakashi ponders carefully on how to exploit his network in order to help his cute little student - he can supply Sakura with a few things that may help her in whatever future she wants to build for herself. And that includes asking the village's most crazy people to help him out here.

"Come with me, Sakura." Kakashi says to her then, and he ignores Sakura's offended squak at his obvious withholding of an answer but he hears her trot behind him still. "Sensei- Kakashi-sensei, not so fast! You still owe me an answer here!" Sakura pants from behind him, but even in the corner of his eye, Kakashi is seeing her look around. Assessing surroundings, fields and things for her to use, even if she doesn't fully know how yet.

Kakashi too is searching; because he happens to remember the schedule of the agent he is looking for. Civilians often ask the ANBU hiding in between the roof-tiles for help with daily activities, and they surprisingly come to help without protest too. Shinobi on the other hand are often not amused to even be breathing the same air as them, but that same distance tends to also be reserved for aiding jittery civilians. 

Kakashi doesn't particularly want to shove Sakura's nose right into these truths. So long as he can shield her - and Naruto and Suke at that - from the cold world that is the shinobi world Kakashi will do what he can.

Exploiting his network should help, he thinks as he finally spied what he is looking for and waves for Sakura to come over. Team 7's only girl trots closer to stand at Kakashi's side, and sees him pointing at a black spot on a rock.

"Careful now." Her sensei tells her, and Sakura blinks at the crinkle in the man's eye as he points at the...speck. Why were they looking at a speck? 

Said speck then moves a little and Sakura clenches her jaw to stifle her yelp, Kakashi not helping with his own chuckle of amusement. "W-What are we even looking at???" Sakura asks baffled, clutching her grocery bag closer to her chest. "Go on and have a look. I promise it won't bite." And Sakura can hear how much her sensei is enjoying himself, but he still nods his head at the...moving speck.

Sakura groans, swearing to every god she can name she will die before even being allowed to poke an ANBU mask, but sets down her bag again - and mentally checking where in the heck all her weapons are stashed - and shuffles closer to the rock. The kunoichi (if she was still calling herself that) concentrates and pulls her nerves to a manageable level as she hears Kakashi appease a curious civilian looking at the creeping girl, and Sakura nearly falls over when sensei is gently nudging the postman away from asking questions.

When Sakura comes to the rock however, her eyes widen and she carefully bends over as to not scare her speck...which turns out to be a tiny black moth...wait, why is a moth nosing around in daylight? This will give her grey hairs for sure, and never mind the fact she once grew her hair for Sasuke, Sakura is too old for this already, she thinks grimly.

"A moth." She deadpans. As if hearing its being addressed, its tiny wings flutter, but the moth ignores her. "Look closer, Sakura-chaaaaan." Is Kakashi-sensei's 'helpful' reply, and Sakura swears he knows its probably going to jump her and eat her eyeballs or something, but Sakura kneels and goes to nose-level with the smaller creature.

And it is then Sakura sees the black moth doesn't have any distinguishing features, and tiny puffs of smoke seem to come off its wings. Narrowing her eyes, and clearly seeing how this isn't your average early-bird type of moth, Sakura decided on a different approach. Carefully, even though her reserves are still small, she charges the first beginning stages of chakra manipulation. 

Her new tiny moth friend perks up in response, and before Sakura can properly respond, she has a moth stuck to her forehead.

Kakashi blinks as the girl very slowly stands up and turns to him with such a dry expression on her face he fears Suna's desert may be more humid. Said girl points at her new passenger and only comments "What."

Kakashi laughs nervously and gently raises his hands to appease her. "Maa, maa Sakura-chan. I wanted to introduce you to Moth-chan for future needs and-" 

"Moth-chan?" Sakura asks dryly as she peers at her...well, shadow moth really. "And what am I supposed to do with...'Moth-chan's' passenger in the meantime? Won't they be mad I just kidnapped their moth, which just to be clear came to me freely?" Kakashi hums at the question, but still assess the situation. As his student peers up at the odd creature, poking it gently with a finger, Kakashi's mismatched eyes scan the treeline for said Moth-chan's proof of life.

The only thing answering the invisible tendrils of his chakra, is a mild feeling of dread answering him in both a warning and an admission his request has been heard. It doesn't linger for long however, gently opting that for now, it is time for them to part ways. As if on cue, Kakashi hears Sakura gives a surprised squawk when her new friend flutters off of her forehead.

"Geez...! Kakashi-sensei, tell me again why an ANBU agent?? This feels so..." And Kakashi's face falls a little in dismay as Sakura searches her memory for a word that is somewhere in between polite and frustrated, before hearing her release a long sigh. "...If you cannot help you can just tell me." She settles on, and it's said quietly as she rubs the spot on her forehead where she just had to part ways with her new tiny friend.

"I will be honest when I say I am trying to find a fast way for you to catch up to your teammates, Sakura-chan." Kakashi fiddles around in his pouch and Sakura's eyebrows go to her hairline when Kakashi shows her the form he had prepared. "Despite the...obvious bumps in the road, the Wave mission was a success. So much even, I asked for Team 7's entry to the Chuunin exams..."

Sakura feels something sink, and blinks very slowly at the paper form. "...Ah. So that's why...ANBU...came into play."

Kakashi nods slowly, but holds the form close to him instead of giving it to her. "Had you not told me of your own observations about the Wave mission, I wouldn't have seen it Sakura." At this Kakashi sees something dark pass his student's eyes, so he quickly adds, "So that is why I wanted you to meet Moth-chan and-"

Sakura quickly holds up a hand. "Stop." Signing a bunch of kids up for the Chuunin exams while she is the only member of her team who barely knows how to hold a kunai. A simple guard duty gone awry, and suddenly wet-behind-the-ears children are allowed to become professional assassins. While Kakashi's judgment of them did not come entirely unexpected, Sakura feels everything about it to be wrong. It's too soon, not just for her but for Naruto...for perhaps even Sasuke-

It makes her think back on why and how Bihan-baa and her peers rushed to chakra deconstruction so quickly. Desperation fueled one need of it, but the speed of how fast shinobi kept being produced must have been the other. 

And so Sakura reiterates her goal, no matter how thin in conviction it may still be. 

"While I...am grateful you would even consider Team 7 as possible Chuunin candidates, I must also politely disagree with your assessment. I never said I was looking for a fast way to get strong. Nor am I looking for an instant fix-it to solve all of my problems." Here she looks at Kakashi directly, and again Kakashi sees his student age decades. "I don't even know where I want to go in my...career. But I do know I need to do so in a way I can be satisfied with and I cannot do that by rushing myself. Nor by 'magically' attaining power and show everyone just how the underdog deserves respect." 

Her expression melts then, and Kakashi watches her sit down on the wooden bench and pat the spot next to her so Kakashi goes and sits down next to her. Sheepishly, Sakura continues, albeit more gently. "Sensei, I'm not mad or anything. I am just clarifying things. I am indeed saying I'm not ready for the Chuunin exams, but I cannot expect you to wait for me either. Naruto and Sasuke-kun..." 

Her fists clench.

"...They need your guidance." She goes on, "They deserve this chance. I will go and search for more until I know the direction I will be going in." And because she knows the ears of the mysterious ANBU are listening in, she quickly adds, "And I don't know if I want 'Moth-chan's' help just yet...what I am currently investigating needs time and care. I have to try some things on my own first...so all I will ask for is time. ...Can I have that at least?"

Kakashi stares at her, slowly opening his hand when Sakura shares some of her sesame seeds with him as she munches on her own directly from the bag. "Time, huh?" He drawls, stealthily eating away the seeds even with Sakura's eyes glued to his form. "How much do you think you need?" Sakura frowns at his question, because giving time indications when researching something so blasphemous as purging the body from the Sage's gift, isn't something a child like Sakura might be able to give. Kakashi seems to hear Sakura's ponderings, and gives her a smile. "...In case Hokage-sama pesters me."

That compromise is something Sakura is willing to make, so she peers in front of her, watching the leaves on the trees dance to subtle winds. Bihan-baa had left her the offer to come study under her wing and dedicate herself to chakra deconstruction.

Although she didn't state it directly, Bihan-baa was willing to steer Sakura towards her old contacts too. She looks shyly at Kakashi, knowing she can ask him for help in taijutsu. She thinks of Naruto, who might be able to do the same if she asks him nicely and perhaps in time...Sasuke might be able to help her defend against genjutsu.

Because Sakura doesn't know what her body will be like when its being taken back to the first principles of chakra. Will it harm Naruto or Sasuke? She knows in time she needs to yank both of them into her training and make sure she gets attuned to them in such a way neither of them will die upon direct contact.

Same goes for Kakashi too, Sakura suddenly realizes. She still has her gran's journal, and Kakashi did spy on some of her diagrams, but didn't manage to understand it all...yet.

"...Give me a week." Sakura suddenly says, thinking carefully on what steps to take. "Let me gather my research, formulate a plan and I will come back to you. ...Is that okay?" 

Kakashi doesn't feel like he can say no here. Doesn't feel there is a choice. Just like how Obito flung him out of the cave, no questions asked. Just like how Rin plowed herself through his-

"...Fair enough. Leave everything else to me, just make sure a glass of that rhubarb juice is standing by when I visit." The words leave his mouth on meticulous precision, Sakura's bright smile brightening his mood and thoughts as she nods. 

He hears her say 'thank you!' before she parts ways with him and he weakly waves after her, wondering within the fog of his mind how he should explain this to Hiruzen.

\- ❀ -

Sakura is anxiously watching her mother read through her notes as she compares them to Bihan-baa's journal. "Well? Anything come to mind, mom?" Mebuki doesn't respond immediately, humming and tapping the wood of the table as she tries to decipher Sakura's notes. "You sure have been busy, honey...but this is...well it's a radical change from what you've been doing thus far." She stacks the notes neatly, smoothening the paper. "I had no idea baa-chan saved all of her research, she sure has been a busy bee, hasn't she." 

Sakura smiles wryly, nodding before she voices her question quietly. "Are you...okay with me doing this?" Mebuki chuckles mildly, and her tone is mild when she answers. "I did ask you to explore your options and see where you can improve, isn't that exactly what you are doing?" At her question, Sakura looks up, eyes searching for any signs she might be getting an angry lecture, but finds nothing. 

"You...really don't mind? I mean...it might go against everything we've learned about chakra so far..." Sakura blinks when Mebuki hums, her mother flipping casually through the journal's pages. "My dear, if this will help you defend yourself in such a way you are able to keep up with it...you won't hear any complaint from me." She offers her daughter a reassuring smile, "There are plenty of shinobi in the world working under their own terms, away from village loyalty or allegiance to daimyos. And that doesn't even cover the wide array of strange ninjutsu some might even consider blasphemous!"

Sakura joins her mother in laughter, and shakes her head. "That...that is certainly true, mom..." Mebuki perks up then, and Sakura sits a little straighter as she knows her mother's behavior when a new idea strikes her. "Oh! A thought just struck me, but have you asked Bihan-baa about auntie Oren?" 

"Eh? Auntie Oren?" Sakura wouldn't be lying if she said that was quite the peculiar suggestion. A chuckle comes from Mebuki then, the older woman nodding and petting the wood of the table. "Oh you remember auntie Oren! She used to always make the loveliest hairstyles with you when you were about six years old. Oh, I might still have picture lying around somewhere-"

"No, wait- mom!" Sakura protests quickly, and screeches a loud prayer of gratitude in her thoughts when her doorbell rings. Quickly, Sakura skips to open and feels absolute relief washes over her when Naruto's smile greets her. "Guess what I brought with me?" He teases, lifting a bag with what has to be ramen dinner in them. Sakura grins and is quick to pull him inside. "You're a godsend. Mom was about to pull baby pictures-"

"Wha-what? Can I see?! I think you'd be so cute- Ack!" No doubt his ear is probably going to fall off somewhere next week as Sakura pulls it with all her strength bringing him inside the kitchen. Sakura sets him down in her previously occupied chair, rummages through the bag and holds up two cups for him to pick from. "Spicy? Or would you like these?" Naruto is not a fan of the vegatarian one, but still nods anyway. He promised to try it out sometimes, might as well do it in a safe environment in case it actually kills him.

Sakura actually seems pleased with his choice, nodding happily. "Ah! Wonderful, I'll put up the hot water. Oh, and don't mind the mess, I'm still working on my project." Naruto sometimes wonders if Sakura's brain doesn't secretly isn't turning to mush in the weekends only to poof back in its usual form back on Mondays. The stacks of paper and journals show him notes written in blasphemy and diagrams that couldn't have made his eyeballs explode right there and then.

For once, Naruto is actually very grateful Sasuke hasn't yet trudged along to hang at Sakura's house. He might not know much of a Sharingan, but even a Sharingan Naruto is sure off wouldn't enjoy seeing all of this mathwork. If it even was mathwork.

"So uh...what are you doing here Sakura-chan...? Do you need help?" The library lady is real nice she could help you know." Sakura smiles at Naruto from over her shoulder as he is careful not to sift too much through her papers and notes. "That is sweet Naruto, but this may require a bit more specific help. I promise to keep on looking though!"

Her answer seems to be enough as her teammate smiles and nods. "Good! So uh...want to share with me want you are doing? If you want to, no...no pressure."

Sakura hums, mostly because uncertainty rises to course through her being as she watches the water in the pot heat up. "Well...it's not really a secret but...I'm not sure if its going to help me in the long run either. I guess you could call it looking into a future specialization, and see if it suits me." 

Naruto seems to understand her motives when she glances back, receiving a happy nod from him as he goes back to curiously flip the pages of Bihan-baa's journal. It was not a lie Sakura told him, it was in fact the honest truth. Chakra deconstruction means putting out the very fire that fuels chakra. Putting it like that sounded as awful as it is meant to be, and Sakura isn't sure if the world would even appreciate the return of a bastard's technique like this one.

It puts even Forbidden Techniques on a much lower level in morals that Sakura really wants to admit. At least a Forbidden Technique keeps on doing what a shinobi is expected to be doing, even if the human morale is thrown out of the window. 

Chakra deconstruction means ending that which makes up chakra. Period. No shinobi will be eagerly looking forward to that.

With a soft sigh, Sakura turns off the fire and carefully tears open the lid of their ramen cups. The simple truth was that at the very least she needs to look into it further, and that means give it a chance. She could research all she wanted on her own, but she promised Kakashi she'd have a direction of where to go within a week. At the very least, a tiny step to either towards or away from learning how to deconstruct chakra - if she ever could learn such a thing - was something doable for now.

And so Sakura pours the hot water into their ramen cups, picks out two pairs of chopsticks, and heads back out to sit with Naruto at the kitchen table. By now, Naruto's nose is buried deep on Bihan's notes on chakra and what it is exactly, and Sakura is happily pleased to see Naruto's interest.

So she gently places the cup close to his nose, making sure he doesn't forget to eat. "Found something interesting, Naruto? If you need me to explain anything...?" Naruto hums, pulling his cup closer to his chest. "I'm trying to understand your notes, Sakura-chan...but I think my head is spinning already. It says here that um...chakra is made out of two...components. Yin and yang. So...we don't start with nature stuff first?"

"Oh. Well you see, chakra begins with its basics first." Sakura begins to explain, lowering her chopsticks as she tries to read what page Naruto was looking at in order to elaborate. "Our spiritual and physical chakra, are the Yin and Yang chakra. Think of it as the more emotionally strong you are in your mind, along with how much the peak of your body's condition is, helps you reach the full potential of your chakra at that point in your life. Does this make sense?"

Naruto blinks at her, processing the information, before giving a small nod after a while. "Ooooh. Okay. I...think so. Yeah, I think I've got the basics. So then what?" Sakura lowers her eyes to the journal, knowing the next pages talk about the gates and network system, the exact flow and compartmentalization of chakra and where it likes to go in normal flow and emergency states. 

And how to manipulate that for chakra deconstruction.

Sakura stirs her ramen with her chopsticks and tips her chin at the journal. "Can you flip to page six for me? I want to share a little what I want to do." Naruto nods with a mouth full of noodles and does as she asks before setting the book flat on the table. "Although I'm not sure if I can do it yet, I do want to see if there is some way to permanently shut the chakra flow. Not just chakra I mean, the very Yin and Yang components." Sakura looks up and gives Naruto a small smile. "I know I'm not anywhere near the level of you and Sasuke yet...but hopefully this study might take me on a better road."

"I know you're gonna find what you're looking for Sakura-chan."

The sudden melancholic tone in Naruto's voice makes Sakura blink worriedly at her teammate, wondering if there is more to his words than he wants to say. "Naruto?" There is a small smile etched on his face when he looks up to her, and quickly waves a hand to ease her thoughts. "Ah...just thinking out loud. ...I want to understand how you feel. I think you searching like this for something new to add to your life is a good thing. I just...I just hope we'll always be Team 7 no matter what you want to do."

Nobody needs to explain his actual feelings on the matter further to her, and Sakura smiles wryly as she stares down at her noodles. Naruto is eerily skilled at reading people, more so than people are willing to give him credit for. It makes Sakura realize Naruto's mind is locked onto the future, and in that future he is already envisioning what it will be like. How the world will function, what his role will be in that new world and if Sakura is correct...

...the people that will accompany him in that future.

Her mind doesn't protest when her arm moves to place her hand on his, squeezing tight. Naruto blinks in surprise, caught off guard at her affection, but Sakura remembers her promise and her own will to become a genuine friend. "Hey." She says gently. "We'll _always_ be Team 7. I'm going to figure this out, make sure I am a proper addition but above all...I will have your back no matter what we'll do from here. Shinobi teams are not the glue here, our bonds will be. I promise to work hard on my end."

Sakura doesn't even flinch when she feels his fingers shyly wrap around her much smaller hand. Nor does she say anything to the wetness she sees shining in his eyes.

She won't abandon him (or Sasuke for that matter) even if her role in Team 7 is still clouded to her. Giving his hand one more squeeze, she gives a soft chuckle and points at their food. "Come, let's eat these up shall we?" 

\- ❀ -

When Sakura heads to the market the next day, she didn't expect to find Sasuke shop for tomatoes in her district.

_Happily._

Well, happy without smiling but Naruto's people skills are rubbing off on her the more time Sakura spends with him so she knows happy when she sees it. Sakura remains on a respectable distance as Sasuke checks out which tomatoes he deems perfect for...dinner Sakura supposes. Maybe one day she can exchange recipes with him? She remembered Naruto mope about how Sasuke actually makes good food on the occasion he sneaked into Sasuke's house.

Needless to say, Sakura is actually due for the same tomato stall as she is going to visit her adoptive gran today. Bihan-baa's journal is currently hiding in her bag, and the intent to absorb its knowledge is stashed away somewhere along with it. 

Her courage however was left somewhere on her nightstand, and Sakura truly wishes she knew how to deal with the brooding Uchiha that seems to enjoy tomatoes a lot. Well. She happens to like tomatoes too. And Bihan does too.

Her feet are already taking her towards the stall even before her mind has the right words ready, but Sakura is viciously remembering two things. She promised to stop objectifying this boy that doesn't want to reciprocate her feelings, and she promised to be a better friend. She remembers telling Kakashi had Sauke _died_ on that bridge, she'd be destroyed. 

With no one in the village to take pity on her because 'grow up' and her favorite 'shit happens'. All because of a lack in power.

_We, the lower castes of civilization, tired of the suffering befalling our people decided to turn the very weapon used by our enemies, their chakra, into their greatest weakness._

Sakura's mouth turns downwards as she remembers the aggrieved words from her grandmother spoken so ruefully. The drive to learn more about a relic from the past, yet still being apprehensive on what that might mean for her team dynamics sits uneasily in her thoughts still. The melancholic feeling doesn't leave her senses even as she stops right next to Sasuke, who peers momentarily at her with those big raven eyes before he turns back to examine the tomato in his left hand. 

Neither say anything at that point, and Sakura is mildly grateful Sasuke doesn't bombard her with questions or god forbid, endless comments on where she's been and what she's been up to. She isn't sure anything she would say would even be enough for him.

But Sakura doesn't know how Sasuke feels about anything. His obsession to be an avenger - as he so easily confessed to needing to be - shut down the emotional aspects of his being to such a degree Sasuke has even forgotten how to build a conversation. And Sakura is so drenched in the confines of logic and reality she herself isn't a diplomatic debater either.

The next tomato she picks up is far too soft, and it catches the attention of the raven-haired boy immediately. Sakura freezes in her movements as her attention is fixated on the boy glancing from her eyes to her tomato before wordlessly holding up another one and plucking the softer tomato out of her hand.

Sakura stares down as Sasuke then puts the firmer tomato in her hand, and she swears he hears him make a noise of approval. "Ah...thank you." She manages to get out politely. Sasuke doesn't answer her yet, and instead hoists up a bag full of tomatoes as he offers the funds for them to the stall owner. "...Always take the firmer ones. And don't put them in the fridge."

The entire galaxy could have exploded right then and there and Sakura still wouldn't be able to fight off the small smile forming on her lips. "I appreciate that, I'll be...more vigilant on those from now on." 

She'd expected him to leave right away, but Sasuke is still there looking at the civilians checking out other stalls. Sakura pays for her fresh tomatoes, and stays near her teammate - at still that same distance - waiting for the right moment to break off their interaction. She didn't know Uchiha even knew where to find the Haruno district, let alone shop in them. But then again, many foreign shinobi enjoyed coming here. Sakura would be sure to ask Bihan more about this.

"How...is your training going?"

His question makes Sakura blink in astonishment before turning her gaze at Sasuke. He is looking directly at her, but there is nothing etched on his face to resemble annoyance or irritation. Maybe he was actually curious? "My training? I did not know you...knew of that."

Technically speaking, nothing even remotely resembling training is currently occupying her schedule. Sakura is still in investigation mode. Sasuke leans back, then looks away. "...Kakashi informed us. Told us to give you space as you worked on new things."

Well now. That sure was something else. Even with Sakura explaining her motivations to Kakashi, that did not mean she expected him to properly explain to the boys just what she was up to. Especially since Sakura herself doesn't even yet knew what she was up to.

But the clock was ticking on that direction she promised to inform Kakashi off, and it seemed subtle as Sasuke tried to be, the Uchiha wanted to inquire where she stood as well. "...I found someone to help me further in what I seek." Not a lie, nor a complete truth. Sakura doesn't want to feel like she's being interrogated, but it's hard not to raise her defenses at a possible sensitive point either. 

Sasuke sizes her up, his expression not changing a whole lot, but Sakura sees his brow furrowing. She is quick to intercept his train of thought before it is spoken out loud however. "I have yet to see if my body can handle what I want to implement. I appreciate your concern, but now is not the time to ask me for results. It will come when I have it ready."

Any shinobi worth their salt would have their hair stand on end with the abundant amount of information she leaked into those very words. The simple truth is however Sakura doesn't have the time for judgement or dictations that are only there to put her own instead of building her up.

She has already seen mighty shinobi discarded by their villages only to return as rancorous forces of nature, and die pitifully at eachother's side. Sakura does not need _that_ to become her sole motivator to pursuit the strength she wants.

But Sasuke's expression seems...a little stunned if anything. "...I wasn't pressuring you." Is what he says slowly, and Sakura is surprised to see an eerie amount of understanding flash in his eyes. She grips her bag a little tighter, filing away the curiosity to know what is behind that feeling hidden in his eyes. "...Oh. Well, I did not mean to sound so...defensive." She pauses then, and Sakura takes a moment to clear her throat before continuing on a better note. "I appreciate you not putting pressure there. I wish I could tell you more but...this is all I have now. Results...well. I know I will have them but a timeframe I cannot give you."

Her answer seems to be enough as the Uchiha lowers his gaze before giving a nod and he pivots his heel intended to head back home. Just as Sakura feels this is yet another Sasuke conversation cut short awkwardly (and abruptly for that matter), her teammate stops dead in his tracks at a hearing distance and briefly glances over his shoulder at her.

"Work hard."

And then he continues back on his way home. Sakura blinks at him. And again. But her stomach is blooming with a warm feeling; a feeling far kinder than just the stagnant infatuation she used to have for him. "I will." Is what she says in reply, letting the wind carry her words to him as for the first time Sakura feels there is actual hope to mending this relationship as well as she is doing with Naruto. 

\- ❀ -

"I don't know, Bihan-baa. Everyone is offering me so many options and directions, but I do not think I want to try any of those."

Bihan stops smelling her newly acquired tomatoes as she turns a contemplating gaze at her granddaughter stirring her glass of rhubarb juice with its stem. "All they want to do is help you, dear." She puts her tomatoes back in her fruit bowl, making space between her oranges and grapefruits. "Oftentimes so long as your own direction with your goals is not uttered loud and clear, people tend to steer you in ways that they feel comfortable with. People do not like the people closest to them make drastic changes, it is why marriages and various relationships often get strained."

Sakura snorts and looks up wryly from her rhubarb juice. "Imagine how they'd respond when suddenly a chakra deconstructor emerges from the ruins of war." Bihan stops making arrangements to her fruit bowl and gives Sakura a calculating gaze. "...This sounds like you have made a decision haven't you, my dear?"

Putting down her glass, Sakura smiles as she rummages in her bag and fishes out the journal she was borrowed. "...I have. No matter the advice and directions people try to nudge me in...not a day goes by that I am not looking through your notes."

Her fingers stroke the journal's worn cover lovingly and a fond look sits in Sakura's eyes. "I think I would like to start learning more. I...even want to learn by trying too. Just see how it goes from there."

Upon seeing her adoptive granddaughter's willingness, Bihan finally shows a warm smile, clapping her hands together. "My, I am happy to hear you are willing to study a bit more. We can always build from there and make adjustments. I am just..." And a whistful look comes to the woman's eyes as she recalls a far distant memory, fondness glistening between them yet so too does the sadness. "...Ah, don't mind me. I am merely getting nostalgic at finally seeing another Haruno take up this path." 

Before Sakura can inquire anything more, the old woman is quick to disappear into a room only to reappear a handful of yarn gathered in her hands. Sakura's eyes follow her dully as Bihan neatly sets the yarn (with lots of pretty colours between them Sakura notices) out on the table the younger Haruno is sitting at. "Um...gran? That's..." Sakura inquires bewildered, because she didn't expect knitting to be part of any sort of training. Practice. Whatever this is.

Bihan guffaws at the girl's dumbfounded expression and shakes her head. "Oh no dear, we're not knitting. My yarn is going to help you on how to nestle your chakra outside of your network system."

"The...yarn will?" Sakura asks skeptically, already picturing herself in future bingo books like some sort of bastard puppet user called the 'yarn monster'.

"Chakra deconstruction begins with your chakra learning on how to move out of its confines first." Bihan explains smiling. "In order to deconstruct chakra, it needs to be available at all times and it cannot be available if it lives squeezed tight within the network system."

Sakura carefully shoves the journal over to her adoptive grandmother just as the elder Haruno reaches to grab it and flips to the near end of her journal. "The network system is connected to your chakra gates, acting as dams to prevent too much chakra from invading the network, thus overloading it. Chakra deconstruction teaches the body to trust itself again, and no longer involves the gates or its dam systems to halt the flow of chakra. It becomes unnecessary, if you will."

Sakura is quiet at this point, knowing full well what else is written on that page. "Chakra deconstruction...negates the usual 20% limit and demands the full 100% to be used."

Bihan nods, her expression becoming more thoughtful. "Exactly. The 20% limit cannot work in chakra deconstruction for we need to be able to have it ready at all times. No exceptions. This is why when chakra is carried by all the cells of the body, teaching the body to divide the burden equally and as such...the 100% strain becomes naturally limited." 

"Limited...but more volatile." Sakura concludes, and Bihan nods solemnly. "Extremely volatile. With chakra now inhabiting your cells rather than the network system, they must act under a different frequency in order to keep you safe. And as you learn about your world and the people around you, the more data on individual frequencies you find, the more countermeasures you can make. Eventually, millions of cells will each carry one countermeasure and together, you will become a walking Glass Cannon as I am."

That was a new one and Sakura's ears perk up immediately. "Glass...Cannon? Is that...the name of this technique?" Bihan gives a happy grin, "...The Haruno call it that. Commonly the various levels of society that ever used this method simply called it chakra deconstruction, but the Haruno clan perfected it...if I may say so...into the phenomenon we have classified as the Glass Cannon technique. Those that survived encounters with it described the feeling of their chakra being deconstructed as 'infinite pieces of glass invading their insides until nothing of their chakra remained'.

"...Morbid." Sakura comments with a cheeky grin, and then another thought pops into her head. "But Bihan-baa...my cells die on a daily basis. How am I supposed to...uphold the 100% if..." 

Her grandmother holds up a hand and points to her yarn. "Watch closely." Sakura shivers as she feels her neck hairs stand on end again as Bihan's chakra surfaces, accompanied by that same dolorous feeling she felt the other day. The dosage is much smaller compared to last time with the Kemuri nin however, and Sakura watches as the yarn begins to unravel itself slowly, thread by thread.

"Gran...what are you..." Sakura asks as she lowers herself to get a closer look. "I am inhabiting the yarn's individual threads with my chakra, dear." The elder Haruno explains, "Consider this a visual process of what will be going on both in your cells as well as any future opponent. It doesn't target chakra as a whole, it targets the parts that make up for it, and by invading the parts the deconstruction will do its work."

Bihan smiles at Sakura's worried expression reassuringly. "And to get back to your concern, you're right my dear. Our cells indeed die and become replaced every day. With age, the process becomes more worn out. But once you understand the frequency of your chakra, you can also lower it to suffice other means. Always remember that Ninjutsu was never the basics of chakra. In the days of the Sage, chakra was used for less straining daily activity and the world got by just fine, my dear. The path of a shinobi is but one method...and now you will learn another."

And then, her grandmother reaches up and unties her bun, letting her soft lavender locks run loose. In between her fingers, she holds a single strand of her hair and grins at her youngest Haruno. "Once you understand the basics with the yarn, you will begin to trust your hair with your chakra. Male shinobi always enjoy to mock a woman's hair, so the first thing you will learn is how to turn your hair into an exploding mine that will ensure your attacker will never weave a single seal again."

Bihan then strokes the soft skin of Sakura's hand, a vicious glint coming to her eyes. "And this soft skin of yours, my dear, shall serve to teach those touching you without your permission how the feeling of their gates exploding within their bodies will be like."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello loves! I finally dropped another beast of a chapter again (that should make up for the wait haha)! Thank you all so much for all the sweet comments you left me on my little fic, I was very humbled by them all. I am just so happy you guys are enjoying it already, thank you all so much. 
> 
> As you remember, the updates will be slow as I am working hard on my original story Jade Kingdoms first (and make the art for it hehe) so this is why I update my fanfiction a little slower. 
> 
> I will build this story slowly, because I think it's important to have a nice steady pace to where I want things to go. I don't want to rush things, nor make it seem as if my girl Sakura is suddenly this badass bitch killing her environment. XD No guys, slow and steady. 
> 
> I basically set this chapter up to show the first directions Sakura is being offered to take her strength to greater heights. I will follow the canon loosely, but I prefer to take matters into my own hand slowly. Some themes will return, but many themes are where I feel things could have gone better. Not turning Sasuke into a selfish dick or the Akatsuki just being a bunch of idiots running around the world just looking for Bijuu instead of applying political pressure AND having the favor of the civilians/Feudal Lords making them fucking terrifying includes that. And much more but you'll see. Huhuhuhu. XD 
> 
> Thank you for reading guys, and I would love to hear your thoughts on my story and come poke me on my Tumblr, Twitter or wherever if you want to nudge me. :3


	4. Ruminations of the pitied

The density of her chakra's make-up is incredibly thick.

The reason Sakura knows her chakra is so potent is because of how the yarn immediately puts up much more resistance than is to be expected in the first tries.

Her chakra simply doesn't want to enter it.

"Are you sure I can make my chakra enter the yarn, baa-chan?" Sakura calls over her shoulder as she peers through some research notes. Her gran had retreated to the kitchen preparing dinner leaving Sakura with much of the research on the Glass Cannon technique, promising to advise her a little more later.

"What's that, honey?" Bihan-baa calls back from the kitchen, and Sakura turns in her chair. "I said, are you sure I can-" A lavender head then pops up from beside the kitchen wall, nearly startling Sakura altogether. There is that all-knowing old people's smile again, and Sakura pouts a little - all in good favor of course. "Hey, we promised not to laugh at my first attempts here." 

Bihan waves a hand before she tips her chin at the yarn, "No laughing here, dearie! I was actually about to give you a hint! What is the yarn originally made of?" Sakura stares at her neighbour as if she is meant to describe the colour green to her. "Well, wool." She answers simply. "And wool is..."

The pieces suddenly come together and give a loud click in Sakura's mind. "...Organic." Bihan grins and nods excitedly. "That's right sweetheart, now tell me why does your chakra not want to enter just yet?"

Sakura quickly flips the pages. "Now where is it...ah, here! _Chakra carries its own unique signature in everything organic it inhabits. Though found in the environment as residue, within organic material it can keep on making adjustments to itself thus staying potent and thus able to carry a unique frequency_." 

She puts the journal down and Sakura scratches her head as she ponders on this some more. "At first I thought it was because wool isn't part of my body and that is why my chakra is refusing to enter it, but...well that makes no sense because Medical Ninjutsu is all about applying your chakra to someone else."

"Exactly!" Bihan exclaims, turning momentarily to lower the fire of their dinner. "Now, flip to page 32 and tell me what it says." Obediently, Sakura does so and begins to read the first sentences, her eyes becoming big as saucers as she begins to understand. " _Frequency in chakra is bound for change when especially being used during Genjutsu and Medical Ninjutsu. Both require the application of chakra in order to match the designated target's own unique chakra signature_ -"

Sakura stops herself and blinks up at her adoptive elder. "...Oh." Bihan laughs out loud and nods, "And there we have it; frequency change is the key here! Now, hold up-"

Lifting the lid and checking the colour of the veggies floating in the broth, Bihan gives a satisfied nod. "...Hm! Let's give that another 20 minutes." Sakura sits back properly in her chair as Bihan trots over, taking the seat next to her. "Think about the daily things where you are in fact already making adjustments. This here for example...is one such activity." 

Sakura is _not_ panicking when Bihan is suddenly pulling an exploding tag out of her sleeve, and the old woman's grins slyly at her granddaughter's expense. "Oh, not to worry dear! This old chap here is completely harmless."

Harmless is a word that normally just doesn't go with exploding tags, but when Sakura squints at Bihan's tag, she sees it isn't like the ones she known. This one is drawn with red ink and the circular matrix is a lot different than ordinary exploding tags. On top of that the paper is a perfect square and purely white.

Sakura plucks it from her grandmother's fingers to study it better. "Gran, what is this? It looks so different from what I normally use."

"Shinobi are not unique in the tools they use, dearie." Bihan explains with a wagging finger, "Did you know lots of shinobi from the smaller nations draw out their own exploding tags? The small nations are exceptionally crafty and creative in crafting the tools they need for their service."

Sakura blinks as her grandmother points at the tag, "This particular matrix allows you to save a portion of your chakra and keep it dormant. In its dormant state, it retains the frequency thanks to that ink that is highly sensitive to chakra patterns, and that is what allows it to store away any unique frequency for later use."

There is a pause, and a nostalgic glint shimmers in pink eyes. "It is the origin in the usage of exploding tags, back when they needed two steps to activate for safety purposes." 

Glancing back and forth from the yarn to the tag, Sakura ponders on the possibilities. This may actually suit her as a more discreet way of practising. She is so used to Naruto's training style, Sakura admits she's been unwittingly applying to the yarn without results so far.

Enforcing it won't work then. Perhaps the gentle approach of testing out various frequencies with these tags might be the answer.

"Oh...so...I can use this to store any frequency I make until I can apply it to myself...right?" Sakura sums up slowly, slightly worried she will end up being a walking newspaper with all of her unique frequency tags glues all over her form. 

But at the same time, the enormous potential also begins to haunt her mind and Sakura suddenly cannot deny the pool of possibilities she's about to enter.

She could make various presets of chakra frequencies, testing them out one by one until her body was made up of a myriad of attunements. It dawned on her on just how destructive this technique was capable on becoming, and Sakura wondered for a moment if she should take precautions on not standing out too much.

Her fingers brush the paper, feeling the texture to be smoother than that of usual exploding tags. Sakura squints her eyes, realizing her senses are not incorrect when her thoughts take her on another course.

Bihan is watching her scrutiny with careful eyes, hoping for her granddaughter to see what she is hoping for.

"What type of paper is this?"

Glee shimmers proudly in the old woman's eyes, happy Sakura asked her the proper question. "You are actually holding the same material as money is made off, my dear. That is linen."

"Linen?" Sakura is flipping the square tag as she pinches the material in between her fingers. Bihan-baa staples her fingers underneath her chin, fondly watching her examine the tag better. "The ink I've used is also a special one. Material selection can help any kind of fighter in their arsenal, dearie, and I hope you might make friends in the nations beyond the major ones to help you understand this."

A considering look passes her minty eyes, and Sakura gently puts the tag down as she looks up to her elder. "Agreeably, this technique can take me far. What I could research on now..." And Sakura eyes the tag again, "...are my frequencies and my material choices."

Seeing the tag again gave her an idea, and Sakura hopes it might help her further. "...Baa-chan. Would you happen to have empty sheets of linen lying around? Is it possible for me to store a portion of the frequency of chakra I mold inside of them? Maybe the yarn will then be more approachable for me." 

Her grandmother is smiling from ear to ear and nods, but not before scratching her scalp with her nails. "You are already taking your own unique paths with a technique so versatile. It is such a treat to watch, my dear Sakura."

Said flower returns her gran's warm smile, watching her rummage through a drawer in the coffee table before pulling out a stack of linen paper sheets. Bihan also is holding a pen and a ink bottle in her hands, and Sakura sees it's the same pinkish ink as the one on Bihan's makeshift exploding tag.

"Alright dearie, allow me to help you understand the basics of chakra frequency sealing." Bihan begins, putting down her materials as Sakura takes one sheet of paper and sets it on the table in front of her. "Imprint seals are actually basic levels of chakra molding, though what makes many struggle with applying them in service is the part where you leave behind the actual imprint in their command matrix."

Sakura hands her the ink bottle, and Bihan-baa carefully unscrews the cap, pulling out a tissue to wipe the edges clean first. "The Exploding tag is actually an imbalance in chakra molding, where Yin and Yang chakra are actually molded in such an imbalanced way, yet requiring a perfect dosage of each in order to make them unstable. There is no gunpower, no Fire release or any component included that one could impart inside the tag to make it actually explosive." 

Sakura rests her chin on her hands as she watches her gran dip the pen in the ink. "Hmm...I've always thought that was the reason they were pricey, but... it's not that, right?" Bihan gives her a soft chuckle, shaking her head. "No sweetie, it's all material costs. Specifically, paper costs. The ink is mass-produced and widely available but the paper is particularly costly. Do you know why?"

"Somehow it might burn better?" 

Bihan leaves the pen in the bottle to boop Sakura's nose with her finger, making the youngster giggle. "Ah, at first I thought so to my dear, but that isn't it! Have you got one on you? Go ahead and pull it out." Sakura momentarily wondered at what her mother might think (or any random shinobi soaring by the rooftops) with what they're doing, but does so anyway.

Genin receive only a pack of five tags each in their standard gear upon graduating. The Genin rank is actually mandatory in Konoha in order to legally be allowed to carry Exploding tags around with them, and Sakura hadn't bothered on getting more. 

They were terribly pricey. Ninja wire was actually worse as it was the priciest of them all. Even hurling a humble kunai made her cringe.

Opening her pouch, Sakura gently takes out a tag and shows it to her grandmother, but Bihan shakes her head. "Rustle it, dear." Frowning curiously, Sakura does so. "Okay...though I am not sure what I'm supposed to see, baa-chan."

At her uncertainty, Bihan carefully takes the tag from her and gives her granddaughter a new instruction. "I want you to _listen_." Bringing her head a little closer, Sakura's ears listen intently as Bihan crumples the tag, rustles it and shakes it around. 

And Sakura's eyes widen when the tag isn't making much noise at all.

Her neighbor nods happily at seeing her realization, and held up a finger. "The paper of Exploding tags is specifically fabricated to be as quiet as possible. It wouldn't help a shinobi if their tools were jingling and rustling to give away their position, now would it? Fabricating the paper in such a way is why the prices aren't the kindest to our wallets."

Upon her granddaughter's careful nod of her head, Bihan's eyes soften ever so gently. "And do you know why it didn't explode on us just now...?" 

"Yin and Yang chakra..." Sakura muses out loud, thinking over on why indeed nothing happened just now. Instability, a perfect balance on dosage, and a last component to set them off-

"Oh." She blinked, and points to herself. "...I am the detonator. Oh, I mean...my _chakra_ is." 

"Exactly my dear. Inserting a single dosage of chakra from _outside_ an imprint is what will initiate the full matrix. The written matrix is what will echo the imprint as if a living shinobi were molding their chakra, but it is the imprint itself that is the source."

Bihan pulled out the pen from the ink bottle and looks Sakura in the eye. "Now watch carefully, or rather I want you to _feel_ what I'm doing when putting down an imprint. The process begins immediately with the drawing process."

The back of her neck tingles, and Sakura feels the hairs on her arms and neck stand on end yet again as Bihan's chakra surfaces, but this time a tremor runs down her spine along with it.

Whatever her grandmother is doing, it is far more precise- not just a defense mechanism like with the foreign Kemuri shinobi earlier. There's actually terror screaming at her and Sakura gulped as she instinctively moved deeper in her chair wanting to get away from Bihan.

But those lavender eyes are reassuring, nodding gently at her. "It's alright, dearie, keep on sensing my intent. I want you to understand."

Her left-hand sets the pen down on the paper, and Bihan begins drawing a circle. Sakura could see the ink gleam in the violet glitter of her grandmother's nightmarish chakra, and stood entranced as Bihan kept on scribbling before having the paper filled with a seal so complex there's nearly not a white spot left on the paper.

Everything was pink with ink, and Sakura sheepishly stood up from her chair to stand behind Bihan to see what she made.

The seal looked to not even to follow the pattern so common within Fire Nation's culture- every shape, stroke and line looked like it were a blend of influences of so many nations Sakura felt no shinobi in Konoha would breathe any of their names in kindness. 

Be that as it may, Bihan looked pleased, prouder than she's seen any Konoha shinobi look, and the young lady could feel fervor swell in her heart. "This, Sakura sweetheart, is the fundamental recurrence of the Glass Canon Technique.

She sets her hands in her lap, and gestures at Sakura to take the tag with her. "Ensure you keep with you consistently my dear. As you find out about how to get to this strategy, there may come a time when you discover an attunement you are content with, and you won't require this one anymore." 

When Sakura reaches to take the tag off the table, Bihan turns in her seat and takes her other hand until Sakura is holding the tag in the middle of her palms. "Now sweetheart, I will assist you with enacting and deactivating chakra frequencies. Our motivation will be the Sages from across the world, who instructed themselves to open their chakra pathways to permit unfamiliar chakra to enter them securely"

"But I've never learned to-" At her initial protest - because gosh her gran sure knew how to drive her to the limit - Bihan chuckles and plants a kiss to her hands. "And that is why I am here, sweetheart. I am going to guide you okay, I will open your pathways for you. While the Glass Canon makes anyone coming into contact with it the catalyst, right now I am going to soften it to make you it's conductor."

Sakura was quiet, feeling her grandmother's hands to be warm and steady. She was really learning the first steps in order to help herself move forwards, despite her doubt and initial fear.

Learning the official name given to chakra deconstruction by the Haruno was the Glass Canon technique, followed by understanding it's devouring ability being able to soften itself to something less...invasive was almost a miracle. Sakura had to actively stop her brain from pondering on these possibilities because it might mean she could become move back and forth from a possible pseudo destruction god, to a more gentle approach.

"Okay...I'm ready." Sakura at last agrees, feeling Bihan squeeze her hands. "Thank you for your trust, dearie. Now, as you might not yet be able to, I am going to shut down your chakra first okay?"

Sakura swears she instantly grew a grey hair somewhere with that statement.

"Yeah...no. That will kill me." She replies dryly, and Bihan laughs heartily. "Oh dearie, not at all! My chakra is going to be the one to temporarily take up on your network activities, yours can sit back and watch as I do it."

"I have to feel this again, don't I?" Sakura moans, and Bihan's smile is downright eerie. The younger Haruno groans and merely nods, offering a weak permission and hoping to god, buddha and the Sage her mother isn't going to wreck her corpse.

There is no danger invading her senses this time.

Sakura looks down in confusion, and but the violet gleam is already entering her veins and nerve system. Her skin glows in the bioluminescence of Bihan-baa's galaxy of chakra gently moving through her body as if greeting her granddaughter on a spiritual level.

There is no glow, no shiver or static sensation, or anything speaking with her faculties at all this chakra is attacking her body by any stretch of the imagination. Sakura felt nothing, yet saw the violet sparkling lines move consistently into her and turning her body aglow like a leaf with its veins set burning from within. 

Her chakra wasn't protesting either, neatly stored in her network systems still but when Sakura tried to test out if she could move it, not an iota of her chakra would budge. And the younger Haruno feels thrilled- because by all rights she should have dropped dead on the spot.

She locks eyes with her grandmother, whom herself in grinning at her rather than buckle down in utter concentration and Sakura suddenly is aghast how someone like Uchiha Madara was celebrated yet this woman - Bihan Haruno - is demonstrating to Sakura a skill that no shinobi she's ever read about is able to do.

Her vision becomes violet, and Sakura sputters for a moment when she feels Bihan hold her hands tighter. "Hold on tight, dearie, this is where the fun begins."

Something nudged at various parts of her body- a gentle lick almost as if asking if it's alright to join her network system. And it takes Sakura a while before realizing this is the foreign chakra the Sages themselves learned on how to let it come to them instead of them forcibly pushing it into their bodies.

"Only say yes when you want to Sakura-chan." Bihan says gently, making sure her youngest understands what they're about to experience.

The reflection of the window shows Sakura aglow as if charging godly power, and the utter absence of its sensations makes the young Haruno realize this is it. She takes a deep breath, and looked over to her gran before giving her a meek nod. "Do it, obaa-chan."

The words are steady, and Bihan regarded her for a while before smiling warmly. "Then so it shall be, my sweet."

Minty orbs gazed at the window, using their visual reflection to see what is becoming of her. But when the veins in her body suddenly fan out to set every aspect of her ablaze as if she were the sun itself, Sakura experiences for the first time the sheer armor of the Glass Cannon as Bihan's chakra nestles inside her every cell.

\- ❀ -

The paper tag Bihan drew on earlier is on fire with pink gleams.

Slowly, Bihan stood up from her chair, taking another look at her glowing pink granddaughter, before gently releasing her hold on the girl's hands. Taking a step back, she raised one hand up to signify that she was still controlling the galaxy of chakra being pushed in all of Sakura's systems.

"This technique...is it's modest form, is visible to the naked eye." At Bihan's solemn tone, Sakura turned her bright gaze to her grandmother, straining her ears to focus on her voice rather than choosing the alternative to slight panic. 

Or excitement. Sakura couldn't tell which of the two her brain had settled upon.

"The visual aspect will help you understand which cell the deconstruction chakra is inhabiting, where chakra as molded by the shinobi standard turns blue in order to show it's been kneaded together."

Bihan points to the tag, and Sakura followed the tip of her finger to finally notice the tag her gran scribbled on earlier is also aglow. "You and this tag are now emitting the same frequency. Though it is my chakra inhabiting you now, that tag will respond once it detects your own chakra producing the same frequency. You can hold the tag close to your body also when you are training to mimic it's imprint, or meditate on feeling the frequency inside it to have it echo its frequency back to you so you can memorize it better."

"Can I..." Sakura began, unsure on how to proceed with a technique that could in theory atomize anything, yet still maintaining her curiosity, "...try something out?"

Bihan nodded, and Sakura very carefully and sheepishly began trotting over to the dining table before slowly taking the yarn in her fingers again. Frowning, and ever slightly worried she may explode anything or whatever else this technique is capable of doing, Sakura looked up to Bihan. "Can I push this chakra in?"

Her gran smiled and nodded, "Let me show you, and remember, I want you to _feel_ what I am doing to your fingertips." On cue, Sakura felt the tips of her fingers become static as if she'd just been spending hours on end charging the Lightning Release, but she still gathered her wits and began pushing-

The yarn thread didn't just immediately unravel, it's many threads unfurled in rapid speed before it proceeded on crumbling and Sakura yelped as the thread kept on unraveling and seemingly destroying itself before Bihan reached over and pinched the thread between the fingers stopping the process altogether. "Ohohoho, oh my dearie! Would you look at that, you're having fun!"

Sakura is panting, and as she looked down at her hands seeing the violet glow fully disappearing as if someone hit a light switch. Her gran lowered her hand, satisfied her chakra left her precious granddaughter easily.

"I..." Sakura stammered, and Bihan listened keenly as she kept on wrapping the remaining thread of yarn back on it's little bundle. "That...aura. Is that what it will be like? I couldn't even do much else except..." Sakura pondered a multitude of thoughts as even more possibilities but also exceptions were being added to her earlier mental spree. "It crumbled. Even if it's not organic...or it was when it was still on a sheep but...still." 

She bit her lip, for if that was the yarn's initial fate with but a fraction of Bihan's colossal chakra...

"Is that...what I could do to a....human?"

The young Haruno blanched when her grandmother nodded immediately. "This is one of its many outcomes, yes. I am not saying you must become savage or cruel in order to survive, but there will be times where you may accidentally go into overdrive. There may be times in which you will be outnumbered and you will channel your maximum prowess. The strength you wield will always be put to the test and sometimes, that outcome will bring the ultimate penance to your opponent."

At Sakura's worried gaze, the older woman leaned over to plant a long, wet smooch on her forehead, squishing the girl's cheeks between her hands. "You are the one who can decide freely what will work for you and what now. So why don't you start by trying to master the frequency you want to use first? Let humble beginnings and curiosity guide your hand."

As that was her initial plan, Sakura glanced over at her stack of paper as she contemplated what else she could do. Her exploding tags had already one done down by one (she didn't trust a crumpled one, she'd had to diffuse it before tossing it out though) but the rest of her weaponry might be a bit in a hazard now that she wouldn't wear her headband.

And you sure needed one to prove, well as long as she wasn't 20 at least, that she wasn't a volatile Genin with a grudge.

So she walked over to her seat, and took her weapons pouch and removed and ordered the contents of her weaponry in an orderly fashion, looking over to see what she had so far.

Greeting her eyes were a measly 10 kunai, 20 shuriken Sakura in horror realized hadn't had their safety wrappings removed yet and four Exploding tags. There was also 20 meters of ninja wire coiled with the intent on never being used unless God himself was going to begin the end of the world, because Sakura still is getting the shivers from seeing its current price tag.

From her left, an older hand gently puts down a freshly made glass of rhubarb juice and Sakura smiles gratefully as her grandmother patting her head.

"Inventory check, my dear?" At Sakura's modest nod, something glints in those elder mauve eyes the younger Haruno found hard to place. "I suppose you could say I'm wondering on what...I should add." 

Bihan-baa sips her own juice, before casually commenting, "Or...are you thinking of subtracting and replacing?"

It was the option of _replacing_ that caught Sakura off guard, needing to grip her glass a little tighter to prevent it from slipping through unsteady fingers. "I barely even know how to use these tools, baa-chan..." Sakura lamented as she sadly looked over her collection, "...but to already begin of thinking to replace things I never used properly..." She chuckled mirthlessly, looking at her grandmother as she plucked out the rhubarb stem from her drink. "I think there are Chuunin and Jounin laughing at me already."

But her grandmother's eyes were calculating, sliding down to look over the tools of the shinobi world with less fondness than Sakura expected to be unveiled in the open. "...If ninja laugh at eachother for changing the materials they will actually use and can master at the earliest age- then truly they have learned nothing from the past."

Sakura tilted her head, both surprised and curious to learn it was actually okay for her to question her weaponry. "Are you saying...I should? I mean I was wondering if I could adjust my gear but..."

"If anything my dear, I would applaud you for already having an understanding of where you want to invest your skillset in." Bihan laughed, waving a hand at her. "Have you noticed Jounin from the villages such as Moon and Kumo prefer using their own preferred weaponry?"

It is rare to have Kumo nin visit Kohona, especially with their history on...sensitive subjects. But Sakura knows the tales of Kumo nin and utilizing their weapon skills to the max. Unlike the Mist that only selected seven chosen ones to wield their horrendous legendary swords, Kumogakure allowed anyone to pick up and master whatever weapon they liked.

Applying that principle to herself might actually work in her favor since her skillset is yet to be defined. 

"Where should I start?" The tag on the table is being eyed by her again, albeit a bit more with curious regard on it perhaps getting a permanent place in her would-be-gear. "That depends my dear. Do you feel you want classic weaponry or..."

There is that glint again that by now has Sakura convinced is her gran scheming with the gods, "...or something more subtle and concealed?"

The hints in her voice scream at her wanting to be heard, so Sakura gulped nervously as she finally conceded and took the bait. "....What would you advice, baa-chan?"

By the time Sakura is leaving Bihan-baa's house in the evening, her pocket is filled with instructions that made the youngest Haruno believe she's being prepped to overturn entire wars.

\- ❀ -

Haruno gossip was actually pretty useful.

Sakura's communication skills were in truth one of the most honed of her assets, and while many waved her off as talkative, it let her converse one-to-one with foreign shinobi without either party sniping one's head off.

Including traveling shinobi mercenaries. With ANBU being fairly friendly to helping civilians out, mercenaries didn't mind a chat often either. 

Stealing a glance at some of the mercenary shinobi browsing the stalls of the market, she saw each of them carry a myriad of tools and weaponry that didn't resemble the usual collection of kunai and shuriken she was so used and drilled to see and master.

She hummed, using the culture of her fellow warriors-at-arms as inspiration whilst looking over a stall that sold various types of paper in both sheets and scrolls. Sakura had found the shape of Exploding tags to be standing out far too much, with each and every shinobi high and low trained to recognize one from great distance.

Whatever she was going to use, picking up and feeling each sheet's texture, she needed something she could use in both service as a (possible) ninja and as a harmless civilian.

She had memorized Bihan-baa's notes before she went to bed last night, not wanting to risk anyone out there to have a clear view on what she was cooking up. Her systems and chakra was flowing normally again, but Sakura felt notoriously downgraded from experiencing the first layer of the Glass Cannon's capacity.

There was more she could do- so much even Sakura felt if she could first begin to restocking her inventory to help her in her 24/7 adjustment and frequency training. She knew once she began with actually mastering the Glass Cannon technique, there was no going back to molding ordinary shinobi chakra. 

Sakura stopped in her tracks, softly chuckling at herself as she put another paper sheet down. _Ordinary_ shinobi's chakra. The fact she had begun to call it that so casually might mean she's already on the road to becoming a Glass Cannon. It still felt a bit alien, choosing the path of a ghoulish technique that no one in this village could support her at except for the civilians and Haruno that had willingly submerged themselves into learning the arts of old.

The old arts Sakura had felt a fraction off, left her only with the curiosity of paper- for the sole purpose of being able to imprint various frequencies she could store them in until her cells would obediently do that for her.

Frowning, she finally settled on grabbing an extra stack of linen and cotton paper, and after paying the stall owner Sakura turned her heel for home. It suddenly struck her that training with Kakashi-sensei and even Naruto and Sasuke was going to be quite difficult if she was serious on training into this secret technique.

She had no control yet, a mere flint of Bihan-baa's chakra exterminated a simple yarn thread out of existence, and Sakura feared what her uncontrolled chakra might do when pushed out of it's current bounds.

Baa-chan's Prime Seal is on her heart, Sakura really needing to find better clothing with pockets so she can more subtly carry her seals with her. As she carries her bags, Sakura looks down as she gently attempts to mirror the feeling Bihan's chakra frequency vibrates at.

Without her gran steering her, nothing is happening and Sakura willingly admits she is disappointed. Carrying the seal with her made Sakura hope somehow a moment of serendipity would be extended to her, but it might be far too soon. It definitely _is_ far too soon, but longing sits in her heart unpleasantly.

Sakura bit her lip as she trotted the streets of her district, truly believing if only she knew all the ins and outs of this technique- including on how far it could take her in her own experience. Then, and only then would she be able to conduct a safe conclusion on whether or not this technique was for her. Theory and planning were her forte, skills she felt she had to be able to use even now, but right now the uncertainty made her feel eerily alone.

She didn't know if Kakashi could keep on helping her, she didn't know if it would allow her to keep her place in Team 7-

Putting her small bag down, she sat down on her porch, a hand to her heart where she could feel the Prime Seal. 

Uncertainty was pulling her into places she shouldn't be going, but Sakura couldn't help herself. So many options offered yet none of them were available if she insisted on pursuing the path of a controversial art.

Sighing, she reached over to scratch at a itch on her knee when she fell something soft and warm greet her fingers. Her minty eyes widen when Sakura sees a black, smokey moth sit on her knee gently opening and closing her wings.

The younger Haruno sits very still, knowing full well to whom the creature (technique really, Sakura concludes from the odd smoke) and softly asks, "Moth-chan...?"

At her calling, long, wavy light pink hair falls over the glass rooftop and Sakura is greeted by a masked ANBU peeking at her upside-down. Sakura is not panicking when said ANBU slowly slides off the roof in complete silence, and seeing that it's a slender lady not too much taller than her.

But, what Sakura didn't expect was for 'Moth-chan' to sit next to her on the porch, her black moth flying up from Sakura's knee to sitting on her shoulder. The younger Haruno feels cold suddenly, being in the immensely up-close presence of an assassin that...despite their very long and shiny light pink hair (it looks very soft even), has no idea what to say to the person Kakashi must have instructed to help her out.

"Um..." And really, what was the procedure for talking to someone from ANBU when you felt not living up to your potential? "H-Hi. I'm Sakura." 'Moth-chan' actually turned her head, and Sakura nearly jumped from her seat when the woman extended her hand...in greeting.

"Oh..." Dredging up her manners from the chasm they fled into, Sakura extended her own hand and was met with a surprisingly soft hold as the ANBU greeted her. Huh, Kakashi was right then. ANBU really knew how to deal with civilians.

"W-well....uh...Moth-chan, can I really call you that or...?" Her masked visitor bobbed her head once, giving her a curt nod to show she was okay with being called that, and Sakura found it the sweetest name given what Moth-chan was representing. 

"Miss um...Moth-chan. As I'm not sure what Kakashi-sensei told you I uh...I honestly do not know if I am ready for your teachings." 

Complete silence is all Sakura is getting again, and the girl makes a mental note that perhaps Moth-chan doesn't like conversation. Or talking at that. "I...haven't worn my headband in a while." She admitted, testing the waters and hoping she isn't going to be accidentally smothered by millions of those smokey...moths or whatever they are.

But miss Moth is listening keenly in her silence, and Sakura feels oddly comforted she isn't being given yet another direction to take herself into, or a stern lecture on directions she should take. "I simply do not know what to do yet...I am researching things but..."

At that, Moth-chan turned, and Sakura is _not_ panicking when the ANBU pulled out one of Sakura's pink scribbled sketches on the Glass Canon technique from her pouch, showing Sakura's doodle of the chakra outside of the network system.

Mint eyes widen as saucers, because how the hell is that going to look in the eyes of the bloody _Hokage_ because Sakura knows who ANBU report to- when a black-gloved hand settle themselves gently on her bright pink locks. And Sakura realized Moth-chan is now giving her a similar head-scratch to what Bihan-baa loves doing with her, and she puts the sketch upside-down on her lap, hiding its contents from view.

"You...don't- I do not understand." Her voice is quiet, and Moth pats the sketch once and puts her gloved hand on Sakura's shoulder this time. It feels like encouragement, not judgement, and Sakura feels vulnerable at the lack of animosity. 

But there is no explanation, just this woman peering at her from behind her moth mask, and Sakura cannot see her eye colour but can understand friendliness when she sees it. 

But then again, and Sakura sizes up the light pink hair cascading down from this very frivolous, though mysterious ANBU- she may be in the presence of someone that actually understands more than she will say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, finally a new update haha! Gosh I've been so busy with my own original projects. Lots of art, even more writing, and kickstarting my art career. I removed my original work from AO3 and will write that only on Tapas as of now. That way I can keep my AO3 a little clean and post more fanfiction every now and then. 
> 
> I'd like to thank everyone for supporting this fic and leaving kind comments and kudos for me. I am very moved to see you guys are already appreciating my little story so early in its humble beginnings. I hope I can keep on providing chapters that will make you smile, even though the updates are pretty slow haha!
> 
> This is a pretty big chapter, with a slow buildup to Sakura eventually experimentation and training. I'm pretty selfish with this fic being very self-indulgant, as I want to build up Sakura's character according to my hand (and that includes extending that love to the other characters in this fic too) so I apologize if we see a little too much of her haha.

**Author's Note:**

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> 
> **Want to read my works elsewhere? My Tapas is the place to go!**  
> [Tapas](https://tapas.io/surenlicious)


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